Do you use equipment and aids to help you live more independently at home? | Healthwatch Northyorkshire

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Do you use equipment and aids to help you live more independently at home?

News - 11 May 2023

Healthwatch North Yorkshire and Medequip are talking to people about their experiences
Medequip van with equipment

We are working with Medequip to get feedback from people who have accessed their services.

Who are Medequip?

Medequip is the largest provider of integrated community equipment in the UK. The service is provided on behalf of the NHS and North Yorkshire Council. Equipment includes all the aids and equipment people may need when returning home from hospital or to maintain and improve their independence at home.

What equipment and aids do Medequip provide?

  • Mobility aids (including walkers, ramps and sticks)
  • Moving and handling equipment (including slide sheets, hoists and slings)
  • Bed packages (including beds, mattresses, rails, raisers and tables)
  • Seating (including riser recliner chairs and shower chairs)
  • Toileting equipment (including seats, commodes and toilet frames)

Note: Wheelchairs aren't provided by Medequip, so aren't included in this particular survey. However, you can still offer feedback about any healthcare issue on our have your say page.

Having your say to improve services

We have been speaking with everyone - including family members and friends of those who have received equipment to hear what they think about the service received.

The feedback will help Medequip ensure it is providing the best possible service.

What happens next?

Medequip and Healthwatch North Yorkshire will be producing a report based on the feedback we receive. This will include an action plan to show what we will be doing as a result of what we hear, including what you tell us. This report and action plan will be available on this page in November.

If you have any questions or want more information, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Medequip or Healthwatch North Yorkshire on the phone numbers or email addresses above. 

Many thanks to everyone who completes the survey. This will help to improve Medequip services for people across North Yorkshire.

How volunteers help make care better

Our volunteers support us in many different ways. From speaking to local people to find out what they think about health and care, to using these views to influence those who run services, volunteers play an important role at Healthwatch.

Ways volunteers have helped us include:

 

Volunteering with Healthwatch

There are a lot of ways volunteers can help and get involved. All our volunteering is flexible to fit around the other things you do. We want volunteering to reflect your strengths and interests. Take a look at some of our roles:

Community volunteer

If you enjoy meeting people, are keen to shape and improve health and social care then our community volunteer role will be an excellent fit for you. You will be part of a small volunteer network team in your local area who meets regularly to support each other. The role is about raising Healthwatch North Yorkshires’ profile and gaining valuable feedback and experiences from the public.

Enter and view (authorised representative) volunteer

Being an enter and view (authorised representative) volunteer involves visiting health and social care settings as a group, across North Yorkshire to gather feedback and assist the assessment of how well the service is working. This is a great opportunity to get involved and influence improvements in local health and social care. Training and support will be given by Healthwatch staff. You can find out more about these visits, including what's involved and which homes we've been to here.

Research volunteer 

You will work with staff to support the research function of Healthwatch North Yorkshire as we gather people’s views and experiences of using different health and social care services.

We are currently only recruiting community volunteers and are particularly keen for volunteers in the Selby, Craven and Ryedale areas of North Yorkshire.

Apply to volunteer with us

 

Why volunteer with your local Healthwatch?

Share your skills and enthusiasm to make things better for everyone in North Yorkshire. Volunteering with us also has lots of other benefits:

  • Make a difference and help improve local health and social care services
  • Learn how health and social care services work
  • Gain new skills and access free training
  • A reference to add to your CV
  • Make use of your existing skills and interests
  • We pay agreed out-of-pocket expenses including travel costs

Become a  Healthwatch volunteer

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