NRS Healthcare held an open day for prescribers across West Sussex, including West Sussex County Council, NHS organisations in West Sussex, and Littlehampton Town Mayor Jill Long, who were able to find out more about the outsourced provider does.

NRS Healthcare opened its depot on 9 November, so that prescribers could see first-hand the different departments that come together as a team to deliver the community equipment service, take a tour around the depot and warehouses, and ask questions.

The main goal was to build the working relationship with NRS and the prescribers and share the ‘One Team’ ethos for everyone understanding and working together for the service and service users.

The event was hosted by NRS Healthcare Service Manager Mike Cutler and NRS Healthcare Community Engagement Lead Emily Shaw.

Mike said: “It was great to welcome so many prescribers to our open day. The aim was to share how we undertake the community equipment service, for our prescribers to meet our Customer Services team, warehouse staff and drivers and ask any questions along the way.”

Questions from prescribers on the day tended to centralise around how NRS Healthcare recycles equipment. Part of the tour showed prescribers the decontamination warehouse and how the collected items are cleaned and checked over to make sure they are fit to go back on the shelf.

Prescribers had not realised how much goes into NRS Healthcare delivering its service, according to the outsourced provider, with all of the different departments working together to achieve goals of in-time deliveries (first time completion) and minimal OOS (Out of stocks).

Mayor Long was one of 33 attendees and commented: “It was interesting to understand how the service operates, and how the equipment is prescribed at a very individual level for the recipient. More importantly, how the loaned items are so carefully assessed on return, refurbished or repaired as necessary and thoroughly prepared for reissue. The whole process appeared very carefully managed and successful in its operation.”

This was Emily’s first open day since joining NRS Healthcare in September.

She said: “My role as Community Engagement Lead, is really important for these events. I was very excited when Mike asked me to run two of the day’s sessions. I’ve only been with the company for two months and am really enjoying my role. It was lovely to meet prescribers we work with daily and put names to faces.”

When asked if the event helped to strengthen the relationships between NRS and prescribers, Mike told AT Today: “Yes, most definitely. It is great to be able to meet the prescribers of the service as also it is great for the prescribers to meet the NRS team. It is very beneficial for our working relationship for transparency and integrity.”

Mike added: “We also offer a Driver Day where a prescriber can accompany a Driver Technician, and this was greeted very positively.”

The driver days out see prescribers go out with an NRS Healthcare driver and see first-hand on how NRS delivers, collects and repairs community equipment.

The feedback NRS Healthcare has received from prescribers in the past that they really appreciate the issues the drivers can face out in the community and also going into service users’ properties is often an “eye opener”.

Mike continued: “It is great to offer a driver day out as this also builds the working relationship between NRS Healthcare and the prescribers as we all want to achieve the same goal in helping the service users.”

Recently, NRS Healthcare has donated thousands of assistive devices to a charity supporting those affected by the war in Ukraine.

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