Making aids and equipment services work better for people
Healthwatch North Yorkshire were asked by Medequip to help get feedback from people who have accessed and used their services as part of work to make things better for people.
Medequip run an equipment service (including delivery and repairs) on behalf of North Yorkshire Council and the NHS. They offer a range of equipment to aid independent living and recovery.
We spoke with service users and their carers, family, and friends. Our survey covered all aspects, including information, delivery, installation, servicing, collection of equipment and overall satisfaction levels.
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)
What were the key findings?
- A large proportion (75%) gave a rating of either 4 or 5, with a smaller proportion (17%) giving a rating of 1 or 2 (where 5 was ‘excellent’ and 1 was ‘poor’).
- When asked how they would rate their initial contact with Medequip, 76% of respondents gave a rating of 4 or 5. Many said the staff they spoke to were polite, understanding and professional.
- Many people said their equipment helps to provide them with privacy, independence, and dignity.
- Issues raised were centred around delivery and communication, with people reporting deliveries not always arriving when they said they would, or deliveries being cancelled altogether.
What needs to be improved?
The majority of people were satisfied with the service that Medequip provides, praising the polite and professional staff and the quality and condition of their equipment. Many said the equipment helps to improve their quality of life and independence and helps them to feel safer. However, while many shared their positive experiences of the service, some areas for improvement were also identified, particularly around communication and delivery timescales.
Our recommendations
- Review suitability of equipment, ensuring that it meets individual needs.
- Improved communication and customer service when it comes to deliveries and making complaints.
- Better equipment delivery, installation, maintenance, and repairs.
- Cleaner quality and condition of equipment.
- Clearer information provided about equipment and how to use, as well as how to return unused equipment.
- Equipment needing to be returned should be collected in a timely and efficient manner, particularly after someone has deceased.
- Being open to ongoing feedback from service users to help shape improvements, including those who took part in the survey.
Response from Medequip
"Plans are in place to replicate the survey in other areas across the country, working with local Healthwatch organisations, to identify and implement areas for improvement.
"Medequip have also reached out to Disability Action for training and learning opportunities for staff in order to improve their service when working with people who use their services.
"There has been some recent training activity to bring the Medequip team closer to our service users which has really made a difference.
"A mother and her child who has complex needs agreed to come to York to spend time and explain their journey with equipment and how they could not live without it. The whole North Yorkshire team were involved in two sessions which not only made the team feel extremely proud of what they do, it also brought home to them the importance of everything they do."
This project has been a powerful learning curve in helping us to engage with people with experience of our services."
