As our MD David Griffiths underlines in his latest blog, our business really is all about the people. Developing and fostering relationships between councils, commissioners and providers plays a vital role in achieving an efficient and well-managed service for those who use our equipment, built on a shared understanding of the challenges and respect for all parties.
Medequip’s Damian McNulty understands that more than most. Once a commissioner for Kirklees Council, he made the move to Medequip four years ago and now supports commissioners and clinicians across eight contracts, working to achieve continuous improvements for the NHS and social care.
Damian began his career in the chemical industry, making a radical change to train as an Occupational Therapist. He initially worked across various community settings, including equipment, adaptations, wheelchairs and paediatrics before joining Kirklees Council as Equipment Services Occupational Therapist in 2016, and subsequently moved to be the Contract Manager for the Service.
In his role as a commissioner, he was the first to be based at Medequip’s Brighouse depot serving the Kirklees contract, giving him a unique insight into exactly how the service was run, the challenges it faces and the opportunities for the future. Here, he talks about why he made the decision to step into provider shoes, what his role brings to community equipment services and how Medequip is working to achieve continuous improvement.
What were the benefits to a Commissioner in working from the Medequip depot rather than Kirklees Council offices?
“The principal benefit was our joint ability to develop a positive relationship based on understanding and cooperation. Being on the spot meant I had a much clearer insight into both commissioner and provider requirements and issues, as well as seeing first-hand the pressures on the service.
The ability to work in partnership meant we built trust and ensured a mutual and comprehensive understanding of every aspect of how the service works and how it is challenged. It also broadened my knowledge of equipment and how it is provided, and helped me to understand the financial and practical pressures facing both commissioner and provider.”
What prompted you to join the Medequip team?
“I was actively seeking to expand my career and increase my skill sets. My working relationship with Medequip had been really positive, and I valued the corporate philosophy and ethos because of my own OT background, focusing on how what we do and how well we do it impacts upon the people who use our equipment.
My role as Product Manager for Medequip brings me a great deal of satisfaction, giving me a unique opportunity to support services across the North of England striving to improve and enhance the equipment offer for eight contract areas. I have a real ability to help bring about positive change, working with different commissioners and supporting our contracts to achieve quality and value for money with the equipment they provide, thereby achieving maximum benefit for the people who use the service.”
What does your typical everyday look like?
“Like everyone working in this field, I can tell you there is no typical – which is one of the reasons I enjoy the role so much. Although my headline task is to support our contracts to provide quality and cost-effective products to meet the needs of our users, this work has many different facets and challenges.
A key part of the role is to facilitate Equipment reviews for our contracts to ensure they have the right products available for use in the community. My OT background is beneficial here, meaning I understand the products and how they work in practice, as well as helping to build empathy with clinicians who are prescribing the equipment. We’re constantly working to improve the equipment review process, which includes implementing the involvement of people with lived experience in evaluating the potential for new and existing products as well as identifying innovative developments that can make an enormous difference to people’s lives.
Liaising with depots, evaluating products, solving issues and building working relationships with operations is also a vital part of the work, and I have the opportunity to work closely with our growing clinical team at Medequip.
In addition, a key part of the Product Manager role involves having close working relationships with suppliers to support best value, promote product innovation and to achieve the best outcomes for contracts and end users. Add to that strategic projects such as Total Cost of Ownership, Increasing Recycling – Reducing Scrap and Scope 3 Emissions to achieve sustainability goals for contracts, and Product Managers at Medequip have a wide variety of responsibilities in their roles.”
Highlights and challenges?
“In this role, I get to work with a lot of great people who care about the service we provide, commissioners, suppliers, prescribers and colleagues. I and am also in a privileged position to make a contribution towards greater efficiencies for contracts which lead to improved outcomes including hospital avoidance, enabling hospital discharge, end of life support and increased independence for the people who use our services. It’s extremely rewarding to know the work that we do ultimately has a positive impact on people’s lives.
I am also lucky enough to carry out some work that uses my experience of working in Health and Social Care. Highlights include supporting and presenting at training/open days to enhance prescriber knowledge of equipment, jointly presenting at a recent ADASS event with one of our Commissioners, showcasing their model of working and how this is supported by Medequip, as well as presenting to the NAEP Conference on how commissioners should welcome the involvement of people with lived experience in equipment review and selection. I feel these have given me a real opportunity to support the development of services and how Medequip work with our Commissioning, Health and Social Care Colleagues.
Challenges of the job can include managing an ever-changing picture of supply and demand of equipment and the pressures this can put on services. Also assisting our customers to manage the demands that are put on them with the changes to healthcare systems and demographics.
I truly believe that building relationships and working in partnership with our Health and Social Care Commissioners makes a real difference to the people that matter – those who use the equipment provided to support them in their day-to-day life.”