Members of the trade and their guests gathered at the annual BHTA awards evening on December 3rd to recognise some of the most outstanding achievements in an industry that continues to provide exceptional customer service.
As usual, there were a number of examples of companies making extra special efforts to ensure that both their customers and their staff receive the highest levels of care and support.
Host for the evening, Angela Rippon told the audience; “For many people who work in the industry, it isn't about winning awards, but simply doing the best job that they can. Having said that, excellence deserves to be rewarded and anyone nominated for any of the awards can feel justifiably proud.”
Angela went on to mention the biggest news story of the year for the Association, the Office of Fair Trading approval of the Code of Practice. She said; “Of course, every company that is a member of the BHTA can feel proud too this year, after the Association gained Office of Fair Trading full approval for the Code of Practice. I'm sure that approval wasn't given lightly and there has been a great deal of time and effort put in. Anyone who has been involved in the development or implementation of this important 'safety net' for customers should really be picking up a special award tonight.” The real reward though will be in the future as BHTA member companies are seen by professionals and public alike as the people to trust and to do business with.”
The evening included awards for the best new products, the most valued team member, the most effective team, the most highly regarded retailer and the BHTA's Lifetime Service Award.
Now in their 14th year, the Independent Living Design awards recognise innovation and good design. This year the judges were almost overwhelmed with a total of 29 products being entered for the awards, with some companies entering two or three. A tough set of criteria is used to make the selections - including innovation, aesthetics, usability, enhancement of quality of life, clarity of user instructions. Eventually the list was narrowed to six products and those companies invited to present to the judging panel,
Ade Adetipan, pictured below with Sue Campbell CBE, joined Angela on stage to present the awards. Ade has been the Ambassador for the Invacare TopEnd sports and everyday wheelchairs for the last two years. He has represented the UK in the wheelchair basketball in Sydney in 2000 and Athens four years later. He now enjoys a successful career as a television presenter and is determined to improve his ranking as a top class wheelchair tennis player.
Sue Norris, chair of the Judging said; “Our huge thanks go to all the companies who entered. Many of this year's entries were simple ideas created directly as a result of listening to users and acting on their needs. You all deserve our congratulations. The awarding of first, second and third prizes was something we must do, but all the finalists deserve some recognition. The passion for their products, which make such a difference to people's lives, shone through in every single presentation.”
In third place was the Trabasack Curve Connect. The judges said of the Trabasack “Derived from the Latin for table and bag, this smart and funky product in a range of coloured trims to suit all personalities provides the answer to working, playing and eating whilst sitting in a wheelchair. No single function dominates any of the others, simple hook and loop technology and D rings keeps phones, ipods and toys attached. It is soft, smooth and doesn't trap hands as some traditional wheelchair lap trays do. On top of all that it is a shoulder bag or rucksack and has plenty of storage space for items for school or work. And if that wasn't enough it is fully machine washable.”
Second place went to Dermacol from Salts Healthcare. The product is an entirely unique solution to the age old problem of leakage and sore skin suffered by many ostomists. The idea was developed from a Salt's customer who was himself plagued by sore skin, it took two years in the development and the result is a physical skin barrier around the stoma to prevent leaks and soreness. Use of the Dermacol product has resulted in greatly reduced use of creams and pastes and can also mean fewer changes of pouch, giving the individual greater confidence and freedom to go about their lives. Some of the quotes the judges liked from satisfied users were “Not housebound, not depressed, out and about” “Has given me my life back” and “They are magic”.
The winner of the 2009 Independent Living Design Awards went to the Echelon Foot by Chas A Blatchford & Sons.
A truly multi disciplinary team were involved in the development of this product. The research began by going back to basics and examining the movements and posture changes in the body when walking on all kinds of surfaces. The result is a foot that adapts to the ground so that the body doesn't have to. Bioengineers, prosthetists and artificial limb users combined to create this unique hydraulically powered foot that enables the user to maintain a healthy posture in all walking environments. This has huge longer term health benefits for users who will no longer be placing additional strain on other parts of their bodies leading to problems later in life. The team that presented this product to the judges had come to measure its success by the size of the smiles on the users faces when they tried the new foot. A huge smile speaks volumes about someone's quality of life and the team at Blatchfords had never seen so many smiles since launching this product onto the market.
All the proceeds form the ILDA entries are donated to the BHTA chosen charity, “When you wish upon a star”. The charity works wonders making wishes come true for children with life-threatening illnesses. Thanks to the generosity and support of all the companies entering products for ILDA 2009, the BHTA was able to present a cheque for £3000.
The next set of awards to be presented were the Excellence Awards, by Assistive Technologies magazine and are voted for by their readers. There were four categories - Mobility, Prosthetics, Rehabilitation and Orthotics.
In the Mobility category, Invacare was highly commended. Remploy Healthcare was the runner up and the winner was Albion Mobility
In the prosthetics section, Otto Bock was highly commended, Touch Bionics was the runner up and the winner was RSL Steeper.
In the Rehabilitation section, Minivator was highly commended, the runner up was Nottingham Rehab Suppliers and the winner was Careflex.
In the final section of orthotics, RS Scan Lab was highly commended, the runner up was Remploy Healthcare and the winner was Trulife
The final part of the evening featured two awards chosen by product users. To ensure that the BHTA Code of Practice is being correctly followed by its members, the BHTA produces feedback postcards for customers to fill in and return. Over the course of the past 12 months many hundreds of these cards were sent back and customers are encouraged to nominate a salesperson who they feel has given them excellent service. It is from this feedback that the Employee of the Year is identified and this year's Employee of the Year sponsored by Naidex was Malcolm Lattimer of Brookwood Mobility.
The Team of the Year Award, also sponsored by Naidex, came from a company that has been in business for seven years. However, the owners of the business have over 20 years experience in the marketplace. The winner of the BHTA Team of the Year award was The Lifecare Centre from Dartford
The Donald Blatchford Retailer of the Year Award was sponsored by THIIS Magazine. Angela introduced the award by saying “This award is in the name of Donald Blatchford, who many of you will remember I am sure. There's no doubt that, in a fast changing marketplace, if Donald was with us today, he would have found the past 12 months pretty interesting. During the past year THIIS magazine has tracked the development of the national retailers as they make their mark and one of the most frequently asked questions is just how does a small, independent business compete. The good news is that it isn't rocket science. It's simply down to great service, in-depth knowledge and the ability to connect with the customer. And so, with plenty of high profile newcomers in the marketplace, it's maybe appropriate that this award has been won by one of the most established businesses around. Nominations through the THIIS website came from the people who really know what a good business looks like – the suppliers who rely on them to sell the products properly and ethically and the professionals who rely on them to take care of their clients. Clearly, this business is doing both.”
The winner of the Donald Blatchford Retailer of the Year award was Bromakin Wheelchairs from Loughborough.
Te final award of the evening was the BHTA Lifetime Service award, made in recognition of a lifetime of service to the industry.
Angela told the audience, “The recipient of this year's Lifetime Service award was born in Essex in 1939. His first job was as an insurance broker in the City before joining the Ford Motor Company as a cost accountant. He was headhunted and joined Baxter Healthcare as Sales Manager, where he stayed for twelve years including two years in the Republic of Ireland. In 1983, he joined Southern Syringe Services from where, he was head hunted once again to help set up a new company.”
“That was 25 years ago and he is still with the same company. During his time with them he was responsible for the launch of the first range of integral convex stoma products within the UK which revolutionised patient's lives. By highlighting the need for these products and the cost reductions to the Department of Health, he helped to create the market for them. They obviate the need for a vast array of accessories for most patients. Now today most stoma care companies have a convex range of products.”
“He is an active, effective and respected member of the BHTA and was instrumental in achieving a satisfactory outcome from long running consultations with the Department of Health, to the benefit of member companies, both large and small. He continues to play an active role in Scotland helping to ensure that regulations do not compromise either companies or patients. Ensuring that the voice of the patient has been heard throughout the consultation process, his key focus has been on maintaining the dignity and choice of the person in the community living with a stoma or continence care issue.”
“His other life-long passions include sport – he played football for Essex, he played and coached tennis at county level and now - when time and the weather permit - enjoys golf. In October, he was 70, and he continues to work as Director of Governmental Affairs, at Hollister.”
The BHTA Lifetime Award was presented to Mike Sawers. Mike is pictured with Sue Campbell, CBE who spoke at the event. Sue is the Chair of UK Sport and was Instrumental in preparing the ground for the successful British Olympic and Paralympic teams in Beijing. She is now heavily involved in ensuring the teams build on this for London 2012.