Case Studies

Case Study

Service and Maintenance of Equipment for
Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust

In 2010 Heather Buckley took on the responsibility for the medical equipment for Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, who have 5500 staff and care for 1.3 million people across 6 boroughs of Greater Manchester.

Consistently under pressure to keep the equipment up and running and not receiving good results from the companies she knew, her frustration was starting to grow. She thought others must have the same issues so she asked the Medical Engineering team at Tameside NHS who they used to repair their equipment. They recommended Chanter Biomed who they had used for a number of years.

After asking Chanter Biomed to carry out some test repairs, and being pleased with the quick response times, a formal quote was raised to look after all the beds under control of Pennine Care across many sites in Manchester.

Over the years Heather has contacted us to ask about other services and we now look after most of their beds, wheelchairs, hoists and similar equipment. They also hire equipment when additional equipment is needed urgently. 

"Since we started working with Chanter Biomed we have found they can respond quickly to our needs. They always arrive at site quickly, usually same or next working day."

"Also, if we have an urgent need for an engineer they will always do their best to help."

"Over the years Chanter's have always attended quickly, I don't need to chase them. They also cover such a large range of equipment they can always do what I need. I'm very happy with the service they provide."

Herbie Knott (Medical Equipment Manager) says "He only hears good things about us and is happy to retain our services."

Case Study

Service and Maintenance of Equipment for
Humber NHS Foundation Trust

In 2010 Alex Fowler became the 'Environmental Manager' at Humber NHS Foundation Trust.

Part of Alex's broad range of responsibilities is thesafe and effective running of medical equipment in a wide range of community and inpatient physical and mental health services, learning disability services, healthy lifestyle support and addictions services to approximately 600,000 people living in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire.

The Trust also runs Whitby community Hospital and five GP practices.

Alex commented - Ensuring our 2,500 staff across more than 70 sites have well functioning equipment to do their jobs safely and to ensure patient care is a daunting task.

My experience of service providers was mixed, and this added to a nagging concern about the thoroughness on the maintenance side of our equipment. As funding pressures mount across the NHS, we are always looking for ways to save money or make ourselves more effective.

Reducing the number of equipment faults can have a huge financial benefit to the Trust. And this also helps with patient care and staff safety.

However, I was frustrated that some of our suppliers weren't helping us with these challenges in the way we need them to.

But more than that, when breakdowns do happen, getting here quickly without having to be chased is essential. It drives me mad because I just don't have time to be chasing suppliers.

Since staring to work with Chanter Biomed in 2012 I feel much more confident that our equipment is being well maintained. Our breakdown rate is under control and "Jobs are attended to quickly and we never need to chase them."

Chanter even suggested some changes and how we carry out our 'LOLER' inspections. When we adopted our ideas, "They saved us a considerable amount of money".

They are also asking how they can enhance how they work with us, bringing forward ideas such as an Electronic portal to check on job progress / service dates etc.

"We have no complaints at all" which given the scale of what we achieve together, is no mean feat. 

Case Study

Service and Maintenance of Equipment for
Tameside Hospital Foundation Trust

Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust serves a community of 250,000 people across Tameside and Glossop. As a busy Foundation Trust Hospital we provide a range of high quality elective, emergency and specialist services for adults and children.

In 2004 Dave Kinder (Medical Equipment Manager) was given the task of ensuring the hospitals medical kit was serviced and safe to comply with his ISO requirements.

Dave commented - Equipment audits were poor, kit wasn't getting serviced adequately, I felt frustrated thinking I wasn't doing a good job. After a meeting with Chanter Biomed it was confirmed they could help, one by auditing the equipment and two, by ensuring they serviced his equipment at the correct intervals.

"Things started to improve and services were getting done. I added more equipment to Chanter Biomed's schedule and soon they were covering a wide range of equipment from patient trolleys, porters chairs, couches, hoists, beds, operating tables etc.

Whenever something new came up, Chanter Biomed could do it. Consolidating equipment with one supplier was making things easier to manage and also helped to reduce costs. Within a short space of time things were getting on track. Equipment was getting a quality service, on time.

Using a company with such a pedigree in engineering made me feel confident the equipment was receiving the best service and that they were done in a timely manner. Calls were attended to quickly and therefore, I recieved less hassle from the wards and end users.

I am now meeting my goals and that makes me feel much more at ease. I have recommended Chanter Biomed to others in the healthcare sector and they are now their customers too."