Medequip carries out research to enhance community equipment services in North Yorkshire
Community equipment supplier Medequip is partnering with Healthwatch in North Yorkshire to carry out detailed research to identify what people hope for in a vital service designed to keep them independent in their homes for longer.
The research will look into how the service is viewed, alongside determining people’s expectations. In North Yorkshire, the supplier has been providing community equipment services (CES) in partnership with the NHS and North Yorkshire Council since 2016.
The first initiative, which began in February, has been developed around co-designing and delivering a detailed survey designed to collect and act on feedback from people using the Medequip service to enhance, grow and develop their independence.
The survey is now launching into the community, sent out to residents accessing Medequip services across North Yorkshire. It can be accessed via the Healthwatch website and there is also a telephone option for survey responses.
Darren Clark, Supply Chain, Logistics and Customer Delivery Professional at Medequip, said: “It’s vital for us to encourage the people we support to give us their frank and open opinion of our services to help us improve and continue to make a positive contribution to the community.
“Using co-production and both expertise and assistance from Healthwatch North Yorkshire will help us get a clear view of how we can best develop our services into the future.”
A co-production model has been used to develop the content of the survey, bringing together people involved with organisations such as Disability Action Yorkshire, North Yorkshire Disability Forum and Inclusion North to devise relevant survey questions following individuals’ engagement with and experience of the Medequip service.
Once completed, the feedback received will be summarised and shared with Medequip and the public, stated Ashley Green, CEO of Healthwatch North Yorkshire. Medequip will then work with organisations across the region to develop a commitment based around this feedback to further improve the services provided in the area.
It is anticipated that the report and summary will be finalised in September 2023, when it will be launched and shared widely, including accessible formats. Everyone using Medequip services in North Yorkshire will be given a summary of the results and action plan, as well as a request for further feedback.
Medequip recently announced a new partnership with Rotherham United Community Sports Trust (RUCST) as part of its strategy to give back to the areas where the company is commissioned to provide community equipment services.
