When NRS Healthcare went into liquidation in August of this year, around 300 members of staff transferred to Medequip to continue to provide community equipment services in Kent, Dorset (including Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole), Cambridge and Peterborough, Doncaster, Blackburn with Darwen and the London boroughs of Ealing and Hillingdon.
At Medequip, we consider ourselves fortunate to welcome a pool of skilled and experienced people, joining our established teams and working hard to ensure we continue to deliver quality services to the people who need our help.
Here, we talk to three of our new colleagues joining the Medequip family to find out how the process has worked out for them and how they are settling into their new roles.
Medequip welcomes …
Hayleigh Nash
Hayleigh joined the Medequip team from NRS in Kent, where she works as Community Engagement Lead. She is enthusiastic about the change, and feels it is already impacting upon her role. “It’s been a very positive experience to join a company that really understands and is committed to community engagement and co-production,” she said. “It means that we can achieve so much more than just our day-to-day equipment business, making a difference and adding value in the communities where we work.”
Hayleigh had been with NRS for two years, building up relationships and partnerships with third sector organisations in Kent, working to understand what they need and appreciate as well as what is required by contracts and commissioners. From school workshops through to fundraising activities, Hayleigh has been actively engaged in a broad range of initiatives sharing resources with the community.
Her work is focused on Kent at the moment, but she feels she is already benefitting from liaising with other community engagement and co-production leaders across the Medequip community. “The business has been very welcoming, and engagement with Marketing has been fantastic in terms of support and resources,” Hayleigh confirmed. “I already feel at home, and having close links with Medequip sister company Ross Care provide wheelchair services in Kent is also a bonus.”
Andy Williams
In-house technician Andy had been with NRS for five years. He admitted he was somewhat apprehensive prior to his induction with Medequip, but soon realised he had no reason for concern. “From day one, the support has been fantastic,” he stated. “My training was carried out in Leicester, and we were shown around and warmly welcomed as part of the family.”
Andy has been particularly impressed by the continuous training opportunities. “Training on equipment with suppliers and offers of future training to further ourselves have been much appreciated. Everything we have asked for has happened.”
In addition, Andy has noted the procedural improvements which are making a difference to operating processes. “The scanners we are using mean that everything from decontamination to recommissioning is a smooth and seamless transition, making our working lives easier – it’s a brilliant system.”
Reece Beresford
Warehouse operative Reece had only been employed by NRS for seven months after being made redundant from his previous job, and confessed to initially being very anxious about the future. “We all have bills to pay, and it was a difficult time. Medequip kept us informed every step of the way. I had never experienced a TUPE transfer, but was relieved at how smoothly it went.”
Reece completed his training at a local Medequip depot. “It was a great experience, and I enjoyed going in every day,” he confirmed. “Medequip really understood the challenges we were facing, and the communications were great – we feel included and very much part of the team.”
In conclusion
Perhaps even more importantly, all three are very positive for the future. “It doesn’t matter who you speak to, you feel listened to,” confirmed Hayleigh. Reece agreed. “There was such a short space of time to get everything done, and promises were delivered upon – we all very much appreciated the openness and honesty.” Andy now feels very confident in the services that can now be offered to people who need them. “We’re all very grateful for Medequip taking up the reins in Kent,” he said. “It’s all about giving to the community, and we’re so glad we have the opportunity to continue to do this important job with the best of support and facilities.”