Apparatus for transferring a person in a supine position laterally between two support surfaces (18, 20) positioned adjacent one another includes a rail assembly with a pair of guide rails (26, 28) and a person support structure (24) movable mountable on the guide rails. The person support structure has a supporting frame (34) and a flexible substrate (36) removably mountable across the supporting frame for suspending a person in a supine position. The rail assembly comprises at least one inflatable actuator (62) for raising the guide rails above a supporting surface (18) to provide sufficient clearance when transferring the person. The actuator (62) may include one or more soft walled inflatable beams (64) located between a cross member (30) interconnecting one end of the rails and the support surface (18).
