One of my colleagues regularly says that Medequip must think big at the same time as thinking small.
I smile politely, nod and let him get on with it… but now that Medequip has taken on a significant amount of new work and people following the financial collapse of NRS I find myself thinking about that balance.
As well as the challenges of delivering the services and integrating a lot of operational details, there is the matter of building relationships, developing a shared culture and being clear about our purpose.
With unplanned expenditure, different external partnerships to navigate and new staff to support you would think my focus would be on my own organisation.
“Put on your own oxygen mask before attempting to help anyone else with theirs”. Isn’t that the instruction from every cabin crew there ever was.
But as a significant provider in a limited market, there is also the responsibility to help improve community equipment services, technology enabled care services and wheelchair services at a regional and national level.
It’s really positive that the British Healthcare Trade Association helped initiate and are collecting data for the All Party Parliamentary Group focussing on access to disability equipment. The Technology Enabled Care Services Association is always proactive in collecting and disseminating evidence of best practice, and the National Association of Equipment Providers has its own regional networks.
And recently Equipment Matters, Community Catalysts, Peoples Voice Media and PCH have initiated efforts to highlight the voices and experience of people who use equipment.
But it feels to me if something is missing. Could it be a space and process where people come together as people interested in improvement, rather than being defined by their lanyard, company logo or lack of either? A time to think big maybe?
Of course, Medequip will support and contribute our experience and enthusiasm to whatever arrangements evolve and, in the meantime, we will help in whatever way we can.
But added to these big “system-wide” efforts are the, often different, requirements of each of our contracts to be proactive in engaging with the local health and social care system and local voluntary sector organisations and communities.
Working at place, or neighbourhood level is a different ball game and this needs more precise and targeted work to find the organisations and people who we need to work with.
We have some great local connections and outcomes across the country, but just as the equipment prescribed by LAs and the NHS is different from place to place, so too are the resources, arrangements and priority given to the relational working needed to build trust between different organisations and people.
I recently wrote to the NHS, Local Authorities, ADASS, LGA, in fact anyone I could think of, to reinforce the point that Medequip wants to help all areas affected by the recent issues, as well as being included in thinking how to make improvements.
As one reply said...”whilst the last few months have been difficult and challenging for all involved, I think we have seen the very best of joint working between LAs and external organisations”.
It’s the classic conundrum of everything, large and small, being important to someone.
So, we’ll continue our journey, getting the small things right, managing the big things that are ours to manage and working with others where that’s the way.
I’ll have to keep on spinning plates until I’m sure we’ve got the balance right.