Medequip trainee team use talent to support COVID-19 efforts on the ground
As more facilities are created to help care for those with COVID-19, Medequip has used the opportunity to provide delivery and installation support to care providers to empower a team of trainees with real-life experience.
When Gallions View Care Home in Greenwich was being established as a specialist centre for COVID-19 patients in a bid to reduce pressure on the local hospital and other care facilities, Medequip’s team in Woolwich was commissioned to install the beds and associated to equip 30 care rooms.
Seeing an opportunity to upskill his trainee team and increase capacity which will be much-needed throughout the pandemic, Paul Cockburn, Medequip Centre of Excellence trainer, proposed a novel solution.
“With 10 trainees on my cohort at our training centre in Woolwich, it seemed like an excellent idea to put their studies and knowledge to good use in support of our team on the ground,” commented Paul.
“Following discussions and planning with our local operational team, it was decided to mobilise our newest technicians to complete the work.”
The equipment was delivered into the care home, with some sent directly from suppliers and some from Medequip’s Woolwich depot, and at 9 am on the 7th April, the team of trainees began work.
No special PPE was needed as the facility was empty and by lunchtime, the rooms were ready to admit their first inpatients, with the trainees having successfully installed a total of 30 Accora floor beds (low level profiling beds) and mattresses, commodes, overbed tables and high back chairs, as well as two mobile hoists and two floor-standing hoists.
Following the success of the initiative, Medequip put the team of trainees back into action in a project at Time Court in Charlton, a care unit with COVID-19 patients already on the wards.
According to the company, Medequip took extra care, using government-approved PPE and maintaining strict distancing from patients & staff. Within an hour and a half, four beds, complete with side rails, had been installed.
In addition, mattresses and two hoists were also set up and ready to use whilst also managing to cause minimal disruption.
A spokesperson from the unit praised the trainee team, referring to the installation as a “military operation” where the team were briefed outside and came in two by two, where they were directed to the individual rooms.
David Griffiths, Managing Director of Medequip, commented: “At Medequip, we’re very proud of our teams around the country who are handling an increased workload to ensure vulnerable people continue to get the support they need and to help with hospital discharges.
“This is a great example of the Medequip team at its very best, working together for the good of our service users, using ingenuity and expertise to make sure we can match the new challenges we are currently facing on a daily basis.”
Recently, leading outsourced CES providers including Medequip announced to work cooperatively throughout the pandemic in order to ensure the NHS and local authorities have the support needed to continue providing care to those in the community.