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High Sheriff sees how Suffolk patients are supported to live at home
The High Sheriff of Suffolk, Mark Pendlington DL, has seen firsthand how equipment is provided that allows children and adults across Suffolk to maintain their independence.
During a recent visit to the Medequip depot in Ipswich, Mr Pendlington met colleagues providing the service and saw the vast amount of equipment available.
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (WSFT) is lead commissioner of the Community Equipment Service (CES) provided by Medequip on behalf of Suffolk and North-East Essex Integrated Care Board (SNEE ICB).
Laura Rawlings, WSFT business development manager, said: “We welcomed the High Sheriff; it was good to be able to show the breadth of the service we offer in Suffolk. This service is vital and provides support for patients being discharged from hospital and admission avoidance for those who may otherwise end up in hospital. It supports the system-wide provision of equipment that allows children, young people, and adults to live in their own home and achieve their best quality of independent living.”
She added: “I am particularly proud of the ongoing work to support our ‘Return, Recycle, Reuse’ scheme, where the service collects community equipment from across the whole of Suffolk, supporting our green initiatives and reducing our carbon footprint. Mark was impressed in particular with this aspect of the contract and keen that we share this success far and wide.”
Mr Pendlington said: “A great pleasure to meet the inspiring team at Medequip who work so tirelessly to deliver essential and life-enhancing equipment to homes across Suffolk. Their compassion and commitment give great comfort and confidence to those who are the most vulnerable and who need extra support to give them the quality of life they need and deserve. I was so impressed with the care given to ensure that every piece of equipment leaving the depot is of the highest quality. My heartfelt thanks to all those in the Medequip team, and their partners at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust and Suffolk County Council.”
Jack Moran, Medequip senior operations manager, said: “The service includes the supply, delivery, installation, repair, maintenance, collection, and recycling of community equipment, once prescribed by a health or social care professional. All the equipment is provided on loan to support independent living. We also provide a trusted assessor service to aid low-level assessments.”
Mr Moran said the team had received gratitude and recognition from Mr Pendlington. “We gave him a tour of the depot, and he saw the journey of equipment from start to finish, including meeting technicians, customer service and warehousing staff. All he saw led him to praise our outstanding dedication, commitment, and hard work. We were also able to share information about our extensive community engagement of the last 12 months, with schemes at both a local and national level, and where staff have volunteered their time in their local community.”
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