Medequip’s Business Development and Partnerships Manager Hema Mistry looks back on the last twelve months and talks about the opportunities her role gives her to learn about the challenges facing the changing community equipment market.
For me, one of the most important and fascinating aspects of my job is the opportunity to meet different people from the organisations we work for and with, as well those we would like to align ourselves with. Commissioners, Directors of social care, prescribers, clinicians and the people who use our services – interaction and communication with our peers helps us to achieve a real understanding of what drives our market, what challenges it faces and how we as an organisation can best respond to this changing world.
Putting the focus on co-production and community engagement
“It's definitely a two-way street for Medequip. We are committed to learning and understanding, then working to put this knowledge to best use. Our approach is not just structured around a clinical and logistical point of view. We continue to build our involvement with co-production and community engagement, benefiting from first-hand input and feedback from groups like our Equipment Matters forum, where people with lived experience share their knowledge and experience which is proving vital to helping Medequip learn, contribute and promote best practice.
Networking events are an important part of my job, and I have very much enjoyed attending the key conferences this year including NAEP, NCASC and the Integrated Care Forum in London, Here, I have been able to engage effectively with people, prescribers and commissioners and share the Medequip messages on subjects such as how we track equipment, our advanced levels of recycling management and our highly successful strategies for reuse of ‘specials’ – many of which really surprise the people I’m talking with.
These important engagement events have also resulted in organised visits to our various depots by directors, prescribers and commissioners, enabling us to demonstrate community equipment services in action and raise the profile of our work in the community.
Maintaining the Medequip values
“Visiting our depots around the country and seeing the service in action, it’s always gratifying to witness how the Medequip values remain the same. Different contracts may have different requirements and difference dynamics but there is always the same commitment to the highest standards of service, to best practice and to learning where and how we can improve what we do each and every day.
Interacting with potential new contracts is also an important part of my day. We’re passionate about learning and understanding what each new area requires when tendering for contracts. Even where we aren’t successful, we always view the feedback as a gift, helping us to improve and implement change in order to further the community equipment cause.
A culture of wellbeing
“As one family, I’m proud too of the way we put support for our own people high on the agenda, and value my involvement in the Wellbeing Committee first set up in 2023. Wellbeing Wednesdays and our Mental Health First Aiders are now an integral part of the Medequip culture.
Every day is unique in community equipment services, and at Medequip, we’re learning to embrace this, and remain committed to increasing awareness of CES.”