One of the nice things about the world of community equipment and technology enabled care is the excitement that comes from retaining an existing contract or winning a new one.
I genuinely believe Medequip and our partner companies are brilliantly placed to support the health and social care system, the people that work in it, and of course, ultimately the people who have cause to use it.
However, one of the downsides of a growing organisation, even in the era of Teams, is the amount of time spent on the road.
It’s great to visit the depots, meet the people doing the work and the commissioners who have chosen us as partners.
But motorway driving!
Let’s just say it can be a bit busy these days and as they politely say, “there are wildly different interpretations of the Highway Code out there and a range of views on what is and isn’t socially acceptable behaviour on the road”.
On a recent trip I noticed a huge articulated lorry drifting to and fro within its lane. As I passed, at an appropriate and legal speed, it drifted more quickly and came very close to leaving a memento on the side of my car.
But as this huge monster of a vehicle seemed to lean over me, what I noticed most was the luminous green wheelnut tightness indicators. More specifically I remember thinking “at least everyone knows the wheelnuts are not loose and the cause of this accident that’s about to unfold”.
And that made me think.
With a growing organisation, what are the simple indicators that all is as it should be?
Are our metaphorical wheelnuts tight enough, and what would tell me if they weren’t?
By design, Medequip has a strong internal focus on Quality Assurance, as well as arrangements with external assurance organisations like CECOPS and the TSA. We also have very strong arrangements for our expanding fleet and estate.
So, all the basics are taken care of. You could say the organisational nuts and bolts have their own “tightness indicators”.
But what about our purpose and mission, and the culture of the organisation? How do I know that all is well there?
Well, across all our community equipment contracts we now also have a consistent, co-produced feedback process that provides the Board with regular updates on both the amount and the type of feedback we have received each month, directly from people who use our services.
Thanks to the people who use services who were involved in the early days of Equipment Matters, this process also includes a view on how much the equipment provided has helped someone achieve the outcome they wanted for themselves.
For example, whether that was to be more independent in keeping themselves and their home clean, or perhaps to be more able to get out and about.
There is still a bit of variation in terms of the custom and practice of collecting information in certain areas. We had to be sensitive to the views of different commissioners.
And at a time of immense pressure in and on the system, it’s never going to be as simple as making sure two luminous green plastic pointy things are pointing at each other.
But hearing directly from people who use services is always a good way to help check if all is well across an organisation – keeping us all in line as we share the journey ahead together.