Services

Please find listed below the following:

• Services from BHTA, available to all
• Services for Members
• Services for Individuals Working in the Industry

SERVICES FROM BHTA, AVAILABLE TO ALL

BHTA Code of Practice

Every member must adhere to a strict Code of Practice which sets out what is expected from a member company.  BHTA has achieved stage one approval from the Office of Fair Trading for the Code, under the Consumer Codes Approval Scheme.  By completing Stage One, the BHTA has satisfied the OFT that its consumer code of practice promotes and safeguards consumer interests beyond the minimum requirements of consumer law. Key features and benefits of BHTA's code are:
- protection of prepayments or deposits paid by consumers in the event that a BHTA member is unable to meet a promise to deliver goods or services;
- an independent redress scheme (arbitration, free to consumers);
- independent disciplinary procedures with a range of sanctions, including warnings and ultimately termination of membership, to deal with non-compliant members; and,
- comprehensive monitoring procedures including inspection visits by independent inspectors, mystery shopping exercises and a consumer satisfaction survey .
Some sectors have also chosen to offer a special Client Protection Scheme. Where this is the case, if a member goes out of business before ordered goods have been delivered, then fellow members undertake to supply the same or similar products and to honour any customer's deposit, up to a maximum of 15% of the total contract cost.

Complaints

If you are not satisfied with a product or service from a BHTA member; or you are not happy with the outcome of any complaint you have addressed to them direct, then the BHTA's complaints conciliation service attempts to resolve the issue without having to go to court.  If conciliation attempts fail, independent adjudication (Arbitration) is available.  Anyone wishing to complain to BHTA must send the Secretariat details of what has occurred, in writing, with copies of any relevant paperwork. Our address is:  BHTA, New Loom House, Suite 4.06, 101 Back Church Lane, London  E1 1LU or email complaints@bhta.com

Publications

Highly readable and colourful, BHTA's "Get Wise" leaflets are of tremendous use to wheelchair and mobility vehicle users as well as to those people thinking of buying a stairlift.

Three enduringly popular leaflets "Get wise to using public transport", "Get wise to using electric scooters and wheelchairs" and "Get wise to buying a mobility vehicle" have been redesigned and relaunched.

The other three more recent leaflets "Get wise - get more from your battery", "Get wise to buying a stairlift" and "Get wise - how to make sure your wheelchair remains stable" are also becoming a 'must read' by consumers and professionals alike.

A free sample copy of each is available on request from the BHTA Secretariat on email bhta@bhta.com or tel: 020 7702 2141, or multiple copies can be purchased (see details below).

There are six BHTA "Get Wise" leaflets:

SERVICES FOR MEMBERS

The BHTA is pro-active in seeking out issues and looking ahead - which we believe is necessary to be effective at all levels of healthcare. We are here to:

• Provide a platform to discuss issues and influence healthcare policy in the UK
• Represent large and small companies across the many sectors of the healthcare industry
• Assist in improving the quality standard within the industry
• Be responsive to the concerns and needs of member companies

More than ever consumers are looking for reassurance that they have chosen a reputable organisation - membership of the BHTA is the simplest and most effective way of providing this. We offer a comprehensive selection of services and benefits, provided by a value for money and cost effective secretariat. By becoming a member you have an effective voice in all of this:

• Provision of industry forum/round table discussions and networking opportunities
• Code of Practice
• Complaints Conciliation Service for use by both the public and member companies
• Seminars and conferences on topics of the moment
• Annual Conference and Independent Living Design Awards
• Free legal assistance (30 minutes consultation)
• Parliamentary access and information through our Parliamentary Research Team
• Government access to represent industry
• Periodical newsletters and weekly information updates
• Accreditation and Registration scheme for member company employees
• Facilitation of training and education
• Exclusive BHTA-member Preferential Insurance Scheme and services for member companies and employees
• Direct access to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
• Meetings with healthcare service officials and professionals
• Wide ranging contacts with associated charities, trade and patient groups
• Continuing membership of a wide range of policy committees at government and patient level (eg the National Patient Safety Agency)
• Participation in standards work through BSI, ISO, CEN
• Membership and active participation in EUROM VI - Europe's premier medical devices trade body giving direct access to EU facilities

SERVICES FOR INDIVIDUALS WORKING IN THE INDUSTRY

The BHTA Registration Scheme - BHTA Registered Persons

The BHTA has launched an exciting initiative for people working in the assistive technologies sector - the skills and experience of whom has previously gone largely unacknowledged. The BHTA Registration Scheme aims to recognise your job competence and raise standards, in turn giving members of the public, and professionals, the confidence that if they deal with a BHTA Registered Person they are dealing with someone they can trust.

Every registered individual has an identity card and a certificate of proof of his registration (and at what level). There is a special Code of Conduct for the scheme, too, which every member agrees to follow.