As life constantly reminds us, the plan is the plan until the plan changes.
I had planned to comment on the first few months and possibly experience of the new Procurement Act 2023.
I’m not a procurement specialist but Medequip, as a proud provider of services to the public sector, is hugely affected by the legislation and policy guidance around procurement.
A transition to the new system presents us all with challenges and opportunities, not least in the consistency of interpretation. As a national provider, Medequip currently experiences a variety of approaches to commissioning, procurement and contract monitoring.
Last year the Government took the decision to scupper my plans and delayed releasing the National Procurement Policy Statement and so the implementation of the Act was pushed back until 24th of February 2025.
So, for now I’m going to leave it to the experts to offer their assessment of NPPS 2025 National Procurement Policy Statement and count my lucky stars that I was inspired by a piece on the radio about the re-emergence of populations of Peregrine falcons.
Great link I hear no one say.
Thanks to the quiet efforts of many specialists, volunteers, institutions and different bodies, I heard that the population of Peregrine falcons has steadily risen to the point where they are now a common sight in some cities. But this is not a piece about these amazing creatures that can reach speeds of 240mph when they are diving to catch prey!
It was the concerted effort of a wide variety of people in a range of roles but with a clear purpose that caught my attention.
This made me think of the un-sung heroes of Medequip.
Like many large organisations Medequip relies on several supporting functions that are in fact central to the success of our business and the well-being of our staff and people who use community equipment. Cleaning of this community equipment is such a process.
Cleanliness is next to godliness as the saying goes but in the healthcare sector it really can be the difference between life and death. Infection control in hospitals and in the community must be a priority for any organisation that has a contract for the NHS.
Providing community equipment on loan means it can be used by many people over the course of its life. This means it must be thoroughly cleaned in between use by different people. I won’t go into too much detail about “organic waste“, but there are a range of bodily fluids that have to be dealt with.
Our cleaning teams, the processes they follow and the quality assurance systems in place are top notch, using modern technology and environmentally friendly products.
As we start to work with a wider range of subcontractor partners, including those from the voluntary community and social enterprise sector, we regularly hear “I didn’t realise there was so much to it”.
From the layout and fitout of our premises and vehicles, the personal and protective equipment, to the swabbing and testing of surfaces for the most minute bacterial traces, nothing is left to chance.
There have been long-standing practice standards for infection control in hospital, health settings and amongst social care settings and organisations that need to be registered with the Care Quality Commission.
For community equipment provided in people's homes, alongside any requirements of the contract there has been work done on standards by NAEP and CECOPS, and more recently the Technology Enabled Care Services Association.
Many organisations including Medequip contributed to the latest standards, alongside experts in the field who lent their considerable knowledge to its development, so we hope to see these consistently adopted across the commissioning and delivery of community equipment services, whether outsourced or provided in-house.
Keeping our staff safe and ensuring the efficient reuse of community equipment will always be the top priority for us and that’s why we have a special category of staff award in our annual Big Thank-You Day, the Cleaning Operative of the Year.
If John F Kennedy were alive today and visiting a Medequip depot and asked the person swabbing for bacteria what they were doing, it would be really great if they could proudly say “why Mr President, I’m helping people to continue living in their own home, thank you very much for asking”.