1

CONTENTS

Welcome to

the latest issue

of Assistive

Technology

Practitioner,

exclusively for members of

the Healthcare and Assistive

Technology Society.

With so many political and

economic changes likely to

affect our marketplace over

the coming months and

years, the need to define our

member’s role in a sustainable

health and care system has

never been greater so we

continue to develop a robust

message about the influence

of our members on the long

term safe and effective

delivery of care alongside

AHP’s and direct to the public.

Leaving the EU, DevoManc

and the introduction of

personal health budgets in

our sector will lead to new

models of care for many

We are delighted to announce

that 2016 will see the creation

of a Society award to celebrate

and support the hugely

important work of members.

The award will be presented

by our patron, Baroness Glenys

Thornton at the annual BHTA

British Healthcare Trades

Awards, to be held this year in

London on 1st December.

Whether based in the private

or public sector, we recognised

that members serve a

vulnerable group of customers

in a variety of ways, such as;

• Assessing needs – through

manual handling, an

assessment of needs,

providing advice, listening

and watching

• Installing, maintaining and

repairing – products that

are an essential part of

maintaining an independent

lifestyle

• Working with others – such

as OTs, physios, nurses

and other healthcare

professionals to ensure the

best solution is found

• Designing and creating

products – from daily living

aids through to redesigning

kitchens and bathrooms

• Delivering – the products to

the customers door every

day, week, month and year

• Working ethically – whether

you’re creating, supplying or

selling

What’s it all about?

Applications are open to all

members and we want to hear

of instances where you have

gone out of your way to find

solutions. Think of the times

when you, or a colleague as

you may nominate others,

have really gone the extra

mile (out of your way) to

Assistive Technology PractitionerTHE NEWSLETTER OF THE HEALTHCARE AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY SOCIETY ISSUE 5

Your Society

people and we are committed

to promoting the credibility of

our members to this changing

landscape of decision makers

– commissioners and health

and wellbeing boards – as well

as continuing our traditional

links with health & social care

professionals and the public.

As well as raising our profile

within our marketplace,

the Council and Advisory

Board are delighted at the

introduction of the society

award to celebrate the

important work of members

and to gain further recognition

of HATS within the various

sectors of the BHTA at

the annual awards dinner

celebrations. I look forward

to naming the winners in our

winter issue.

We are always keen to know

what interests you on a local,

national or global scale so

that we can tailor our articles

accordingly – training, changes

to local commissioning policy

and how to promote the

society are some of the topics

covered in this issue.

If you would like to see an

area of interest published in

the next issue please send

your thoughts and comments

to Philip Woodward at Philip.

woodward@hatsoc.org

guaranteed if a subject is of

interest to you, it will be of

interest to others.

Kay Purnell, Chair

Society Council

Your Society 1

Practitioner of the Year Awards 1

New Qualification for Prosthetic, 2

Orthotic and Orthopaedic

footwear technicians

Update on DevoManc 3

New PMG Chair 3

Tribute to Russ Mears 3

Exhibition Round Up 4

A Manx tale... 4

The MHRA and how it affects you 5

Keeping your skills and 6

knowledge up-to-date

CPD Opportunities 7

HATS Membership 8

Introduction of the Society award: Practitioner of the Year 2016

2

help someone out. The award

is for the most outstanding

practitioner of the year, and

we are looking to acknowledge

those who provide exceptional

customer service and work to

a high standard of ethical best

practice.

What we look for

There are four ways that

you can evidence your

commitment to best practice

and ethical working:

• Maintaining skills and

knowledge:

keeping up-to-date

• Effective working with

others working with OTs,

Families and even the

competition

• Providing excellent

customer service always

putting the clients needs

and safety first

• Team working:

training colleagues and

working together to achieve

results

Entries will be considered

by the Advisory Board who

will be looking for a strong

demonstration of at least two

of the above four criteria in the

application statement.

An application form is

available from the website at:

http://www.hatsoc.org/

content/practitioner-year-

award.html. For further details

and any questions please email:

membership@hatsoc.org or

contact Philip Woodward on

0207 702 2141.

...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY PRACTITIONER ISSUE 5

A much needed, and long awaited, training

course specifically for Orthotic and Prosthetic

Technicians was launched at the 2016 BAPO

conference. The Professional Development

Award in Rehabilitation Technologies offers

a flexible way of learning to fit in with a

candidate’s own pace of learning and to

accommodate work related timescales. The

course has received national accreditation

through the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

At the conference Ian Adam, Orthotic

Rehabilitation

Technician

at Glasgow’s

Royal Hospital

for Children,

presented the

format of the

course with the

designers of the

online modules

(Glasgow Clyde

College) and

representatives

from the Scottish

Qualifications

Authority were on

hand to answer

questions from

the audience.

Technicians

have long been

recognised as an

integral part of

the patient care

pathway but with

no formal recognition of the work carried

out behind the scenes in the workshop, so

this course aims to support those with many

years’ experience as well as those who have

become technicians in more recent years.

The format for learning is very much ‘on

the job’ with mandatory online modules

providing a sound background in topics such

as anatomy, biomechanics and materials

alongside workplace based, practical modules

covering orthotic and prosthetic manufacturing

techniques. The project to set up the course

has been supported by the British Healthcare

Trades Association and Orthotic Education

and Training Trust and we hope to see the first

students enrolling this summer.

In addition to lan’s involvement from the

public sector, the course has been supported

by industry throughout the development

process. Kay Purnell, Business Development

Manager at Blatchford’s Clinical Services was

appointed a member of the working group

and says: “Ian has done a fantastic job in tying

together all elements of the course, we knew

what we wanted to achieve

and Ian has helped us to get

to the finish line with a very

comprehensive course that

can be delivered in a way

which least affects the daily

work routine of candidates.

It was essential to ensure

that the course could be

delivered

in the

workplace

which meant

translating

lectures to

online learning

modules

as well as

formalising

a way to

recognise

the essential

practical skills employed by technicians.

Importantly, the course will offer recognition

of skills for those already working as

technicians as well as appealing to those who

may be considering a role as a technician in the

future, and is long overdue.”

Sam Gallop CBE says: “Our Cross Party Group

takes a keen interest in all aspects of education

and training and career development. This

further recognition of the importance of the

Technician often under sung in their backrooms

– is therefore to be welcomed. The Group’s

Officers are further pursuing national and

international opportunities.”

New qualification for prosthetic, orthotic and orthopaedic footwear technicians

Follow us on Twitter we’re @hatsoc

3

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY PRACTITIONER ISSUE 5

February 2015 marked the start of the

revolutionary DevoManc (Devolution

Manchester) agreement with the

government, for Greater Manchester to

take charge of the decisions of health

and social care spending in the region.

Following the last ten years of

reforming and growing the region, the

next five years present a positive outlook

for Manchester’s changing healthcare

system and the DevoManc program.

“The Plan”, published in December

2015, and endorsed by the Health and

Social Care Strategic Partnership Board,

lays out the targets that DevoManc hopes

to achieve. Now, just over one year into

implementation, we begin the nation’s

pilot program – Making people healthier

and more independent for longer.

Through the synchronised partnership

of Greater Manchester’s Health and Social

Care facilities, DevoManc is aiming to –

within the next five years – reduce the

number of people dying from cancer and

cardiovascular or respiratory disease,

and having more children reaching

a good level of social development.

Ultimately culminating in having our aging

population able to stay well and living at

home for as long as possible, with fewer

people suffering serious falls.

Combined Social and Healthcare Budgets ...the way forward?

New PMG Chair

Russell Mears

Posture & Mobility Group (PMG) is

very pleased to announce that Diane

Hargrove, Sales and Marketing Director

at Sumed International UK, has taken

over as Chair of PMG as of Wednesday

20th July 2016.

Diane takes over from Clare Canale,

an Occupational Therapist and Leckey &

Firefly Clinical Manager at James Leckey

Design, who has stepped down as Chair

after six successful years in the role.

Diane looks forward to taking over the

new streamlined Executive Committee

implemented under Clare’s leadership.

Diane believes that although the NHS

and healthcare delivery field is going

through some challenging times, PMG is

stronger than ever, and in a great position

to help shape the future of the field. She

hopes to engage members more, in all

aspects of PMG, to continue to build

the organisation’s strengths. During her

term as chair, Diane also plans to build

on PMG’s collaborative work with other

organisations and fields of relevance to

help increase our membership further

amongst professionals working across

other healthcare sectors.

We are very saddened to report that Society

member Russell Mears, who was the Managing

Director at Simple Stuff Works, tragically passed

away earlier this year. He leaves his wife Polly,

and three children: Toni, Ben and Kate.

Russell was a great supporter of the Society,

having been a member of it’s forerunner the

Assistive Technology Practitioner Society

(ATPS) for many years. When we re-branded

and transferred over to the current Society

Russell was one of the first to sign up.

In addition to being a Society Member,

Russell was also an active member of the

Posture Mobility Group (PMG) and contributed

regularly to their work. He will be missed within

the industry and on behalf of all our members

the Society extends it’s deepest sympathy to

Russell’s family and friends.

The Health and Social Care Partnership

Board – consisting of NHS organisations,

the voluntary sector, patient groups,

and regulatory bodies – is pooling

and redistributing the £6 billion funds

to result in the best outcome for the

Greater Manchester population. They are

reflowing the money around the system

to develop new ways of working, to beat

the £2 billion gap we are currently going

to see emerge over the next five years.

There are many reasons why pooling

resources and combining Health and Social

Care should reduce costs and improve

communication and patient outcomes

and potentially also reduce referral and

discharge lead times which would also

deliver positive benefits financially. As yet

it is too soon to know how successful this

initiative will prove and we look forward to

receiving an update from the partnership

board in due course.

If you are involved in the DevoManc

initiative or work in the catchment

area and want to let us know how

you feel it is going we would be really

interested to hear from you, please

email us at: membership@hatsoc.org.

Learn more about DevoManc https://

www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk/

homepage/59/devolution

4

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY PRACTITIONER ISSUE 5

Where we live has a bearing on the

Health and Social Care facilities available

to us. I live on a little island in the middle

of the Irish Sea called the Isle of Man

and here is a little background for those

that have never been or perhaps don’t

know where it is. The Isle of Man is a self-

governing British Crown dependency

in the Irish Sea between England and

Ireland.

The population of the island fluctuates

slightly however is fairly consistent at

85,000 and although most people speak

English the Isle of Man does have its own

Manx language, spoken by a few. Although

not part of the United Kingdom it does

have a National Health Service and there

is a reciprocal agreement between the

UK and IOM so specialist healthcare not

available on the island is made available in

the UK. Health and Social Care makes up

one department on the Isle of Man with

the current Government expenditure in

2014/15 of £235m.

Just because we are a small island it

does not mean that we do not have an

excellent

service and

quality of care.

However, it

does not mean

that things

can not be

improved and

therefore the

integrated

health and

social care department are looking at

various ways to deliver a better and more

efficient service.

Currently the Department of Health

and Social Care are delivering Roadshows

to the public in various locations on the

island. This is to report on the current

position and lay out the strategy for the

next five years. The key areas which fall

within the strategic plan are:

1. Greater responsibility of individuals

own health

2. Help people stay well in their own

homes and communities

3. Improve hospital services

4. Safeguarding for those people who

can not protect themselves

5. Ensure good value health and social

care is delivered to all

Running a business on the island that

sells mobility and disability equipment

I often hear people’s stories of their

experiences of the services offered to

them and I must say that some people

have felt very let down at times. Of

course there are recognised flaws with

any service but I am very hopeful that

the Isle of Man

Government are

now starting to

understand where

improvements

can be made so

everyone gets the

duty of care they

deserve but at the

same time balance

the books.

A Manx tale...

Tracey Hellowell

Managing Director

Just Care Products

Ray Hodgkinson MBE Director of Public

affairs for BHTA delivered a lecture on

“Making a Difference….” At the Posture

and Mobility Conference (PMG) in

Birmingham.

Ray spoke about some of the

milestones that have affected the industry

which we all participate in today, and how

we all make a difference.

He reviewed the importance of

demographic change, life expectancy,

and the importance and unique role of

assistance technology to society, the

breadth of skills required, and its impact

on society, not just in enabling but in its

cost effectiveness. He discussed its future

and the future of those now working in

the sector, and of those setting off on a

career with us.

Ray also reviewed the current model of

provision, and commented on the future

prospects with all the issues currently

surrounding the health service, giving the

potential for consumers to drive a new

way forward, as well as how choice can be

stimulated, and why we need change.

Ray also spoke about the aims and

agenda for PMG and BHTA to explore

together to help ensure we continue to

make a difference.

PMG Posture and Mobility Group Conference 20th July 2016

EXHIBITION ROUNDUP

“Although not part of the United Kingdom it does have a National Health Service and there is a reciprocal agreement between the UK and IOM.”

“Just because we are a small island it does not mean that we do not have an excellent service and quality of care.”

5

The Medicines and Healthcare product

Regulatory Agency is the Government

Agency that regulates our industry. They

are part of the Department of Health

and are responsible for ensuring that

medicines and medical devices work as

they should, and are acceptably safe.

As a HATS member you are almost

certainly working with medical devices

in one way or another, so it is probably

in your interest to understand how

your industry is regulated. Let’s

start with the MHRA definition of a

medical device: “Medical devices are

all products, except medicines, used in

healthcare for the diagnosis, prevention,

monitoring or treatment of illness or

disability. Examples include X-ray and

other imaging equipment, pacemakers,

artificial joints, anaesthetic equipment,

pregnancy test kits, infusion equipment,

beds, wheelchairs, condoms, and surgical

dressings”. The MHRA also regulate the

market for e-cigarettes.

Manufacturers of Medical Devices

in the EU must be registered with a

Competent Authority, in the UK the MHRA

is the designated Competent Authority.

Following an appropriate assessment,

the MHRA will issue relevant certification

allowing manufacturers to put CE-marks

on their products and put them on the

market anywhere in the EU. This marketing

freedom may change post Brexit, but the

requirements to manufacturers and HATS

members are likely to stay similar.

Devices are categorised into four

classes with Class 1 being the most

basic. Classes 2a, 2b and 3 all require the

products to be certified by a notified

body before the CE mark can be applied.

Beds, wheelchairs, hoists are examples

of Class 1 devices. Because of the

comparative low risk nature of most

Class 1 devices, manufacturers registered

with the MHRA can, when satisfied that

the medical device complies with the

requirements in the Medical Device

Directive, apply the CE mark themselves.

The manufacturer must write a statement

to declare this, known as the Declaration

of Conformity. Manufacturers of devices

that includes sterile products or a

measuring function will need a notified

body to approve and certify the parts of

their manufacturing process that relates

to sterility or metrology.

The MHRA acknowledge that no product

is risk free. They have a responsibility

to keep watch over medicines and

medical devices and can take action to

protect the public if there is a problem.

To support them in keeping watch, they

expect manufacturers to implement and

maintain corrective action and vigilance

procedures. This involves a requirement

that manufacturers immediately report

any incident that had or might have led to

death, serious injury or serious deterioration

in health. Also the MHRA must be notified

of any technical or medical reason leading

to the systemic recall of a device.

As well as reactive vigilance,

manufacturers must conduct “post

market surveillance”. This involves

implementing and maintaining a

documented procedure to review

experience gained from devices on the

market and to implement any necessary

corrective action.

The MHRA investigate harmful

incidents. Together with reports coming

in from manufacturers the MHRA also

encourages healthcare professionals to

report “adverse incidents”. They define an

adverse incident as an event that causes,

or has the potential to cause, unexpected

or unwanted effects involving the safety

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY PRACTITIONER ISSUE 5

The MHRA and how it affects you

The MHRA investigate harmful incidents. Together with reports coming in from manufacturers the MHRA also encourages healthcare professionals to report “adverse incidents”.

6

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY PRACTITIONER ISSUE 5

As a Member of the Society it is

important that you keep your knowledge

up-to-date and develop your skills so

that you can deliver the best service

possible for your customer, colleagues

and employer.

To help you develop your skills and

knowledge, the Society requires you to

keep a record (skills and training record

sheet) of what training and professional

development you have undertaken in a

membership year. Recording what activities

you have undertaken should make it easier

for you to reflect on what you have learnt

and identify any professional development

needed. We all know what we’re good at,

but sometimes identifying where we could

do with some extra help or development

isn’t always so easy or straight forward.

James Malcolm from Ability Matters

had just completed his skills and training

record sheet and let us know how easy

it was to complete. James said, “With all

processes and forms there can be a sense

of intrepidation of how easy a system

will be, but it was not rocket science. The

record sheet was straight forward and

ease of use is a positive factor that makes

sure you will go back in to update the

record/information on a regular basis”

“Completing the form really made me

consider what I had done and why I had

done it. I had to think about what it was

I had wanted to get out of the training I

undertook and how successful it was”.

In addition to the record sheet, the

Society has published guidance to

support the process and both documents

can be found on the website at: http://

www.hatsoc.org/content/members.html

The guidance helpfully sets out what

sort of activity can lead to learning and

professional development and as you will

see it is a varied list.

If you have specific questions about

your professional development contact

Philip Woodward on 0207 702 2142 or

email: membership@hatsoc.org

Keeping your skills and knowledge up-to-date

of device users (including patients) or

other persons. Depending on the outcome

of an incident investigation by the MHRA,

they may instruct the manufacturer to

publish a Field Safety Notice (FSN) to

communicate awareness of the issue. For

more serious incidents the MHRA may

publish a Medical Device Alert (MDA).

These are sent out to all NHS Trusts, Local

Authorities, CCG’s, etc. The MHRA can

also take other action from instructing

device recalls to instigating prosecutions.

Examples of adverse incidents include:

• a patient, user, carer or professional is

injured as a result of a medical device

failure or its misuse

• a patient’s treatment is interrupted

or compromised by a medical device

failure

• a misdiagnosis due to a medical device

failure leads to inappropriate treatment

• a patient’s health deteriorates due to

medical device failure.

Causes of incidents may include:

design; poor user instructions or training;

inappropriate modifications; inadequate

maintenance; unsuitable storage and use

conditions or an inappropriate device

provided for a patient. Clearly, depending

on a HATS member’s role relating to the

cause of an incident, there could be major

implications regarding their competency.

If this article concerns you, that’s good.

Awareness of a problem is the first step

towards a solution.

Further information about the MHRA

can be found on their web site: https://

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/

medicines-and-healthcare-products-

regulatory-agency

...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

We encourage members to remain in contact with the Society

as much as possible. Keeping us updated about any new

jobs or promotions, a change of address or name really helps

us maintain accurate details about our members ensuring

returned mail or emails are kept to a minimum. If you have any

change of details you would like to update us about please

drop the Secretariat a line at: info@hatsoc.org.

7

SEPTEMBER 2016BHTA – Pressure Care

Awareness – September

7th 2016 – Wellingborough

– BHTA/H&AT member

£292+VAT. Non Member

£360+VAT

Electric Mobility – Servicing /

Maintenance & Fault finding

for Rascal Mobility Products –

September 7th 2016 – FOC

including Lunch.

Medilink – Social Media skills

training – Two-day Social

Media course – September

13/14 2016 – Leeds. £995 for

large companies and £495 for

sector SMEs.

Pride Mobility – Introduction

to Pride Mobility Products

Technical Trouble Shooting –

September 21/22 – A deposit

is required for each delegate

that you wish to attend the

Pride training. This will be

returned to you once the

specific training has been

attended.

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY PRACTITIONER ISSUE 5

Global Training by Silvalea

– October 13th 2016 –

Rehabilitation Aids –

Interactive Online Training

– FOC.

BHTA – Healthcare and

Assistive Technology –

October 19-20

2016 – Wellingborough. BHTA/

H&AT member £465+VAT,

Non Member £590+VAT

Pride Mobility – Introduction

to Pride Mobility Products

Technical Trouble Shooting

– October 19/20 2016 – A

deposit is required for each

delegate that you wish to

attend the Pride training. This

will be returned to you once

the specific training has been

attended.

Global Training by Silvalea –

October 26th 2016 – Amputee

Slings – Interactive Online

Training – FOC.

Global Training by Silvalea –

October 27th 2016 – Safe use

of transfer aids – Interactive

Online Training – FOC.

JCM – Specialist Seating –

September 22nd 2016 – JCM

Academy, Peterborough.

Global Training by Silvalea –

September 22nd 2016 – Insitu

Slings – Interactive Online

Training – FOC.

OCTOBER 2016Global Training by Silvalea –

October 5th 2016 – Toileting

slings and their safe use –

Interactive Online Training

– FOC.

Global Training by Silvalea –

October 6th 2016 –

Understanding clip fixing

slings – Interactive Online

Training – FOC.

JCM – Technical Training –

October 6th 2016 – JCM

Academy, Peterborough.

Medilink – Innovation strategy

course – Two-day Innovation

and Business strategy course

– October 11-12 2016 – Leeds –

£995 for large companies and

£495 for sector SMEs.

Global Training by Silvalea

– October 12th 2016 – How

to measure and complete the

custom made form –Interactive

Online Training – FOC.

BOOKING CONTACTS

Invacare – Call Joan James

on 01656 776283 or email

jjames@invacare.com

Global Training by Silvalea

- +44(0)1626 331655 info@

silvalea-globaltraining.com or

www.trainingbysilvalea.com

Quantum Rehab – Call Debbie

on 01869 324600 or email

sales@quantumrehab.co.uk

Pride Mobility – Call Dave

on 01869 324600 or email

service@pride-mobility. co.uk

R82 UK Ltd – Call 0121 561

2222, or email Martyn Davis on

mda@r82.com

Electric Mobility - Call Hayley

Acton on 01460 258158

or email hayley.acton@

electricmobility.co.uk

JCM – Contact Rachel Davis

on training@ jcmfactory.co.uk

MediLink – Contact Emma

Lister, Medilink Skills

Coordinator, on 0114 232 9277

email e.lister@medilink.co.uk

BHTA - Contact Philip

Woodward on philip.

woodward@bhta.com or call

0207 702 2141

CPD OPPORTUNITIESSEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2016

If you’re aware of other CPD opportunities Society members might find useful, please let us know at info@hatsoc.org

8

Darren AwangCourse Director of the MSc in Assistive Technology Coventry University

Clare CanaleChair of the Posture Mobility Group

Prof. Duncan EatonExecutive AdvisorAll Party Parliamentary Health Group

Dr. Sally GoslingAssistant Director for Practice & Development, The Chartered Society of Physiotherapists

Ray Hodgkinson MBEDirector of Public Affairs, British Healthcare Trades Association

Ian McCreathPersonal Choice Programme Manager, The Alzheimer’s Society

Julia ScottChief ExecutiveThe British Association of Occupational Therapists

Alison SomekChief Executive Officer, Somek and Associates

Kay Purnell (Chair)Business Development Manager, Blatchford’s Clinical Services

Diane HargroveSales and Marketing Director, Sumed Int’l UK (Ltd)

Kenneth MunroManaging Director, W Munro (Rehab) Ltd

Myrddin JamesDirector, 3r Mobility

Richard HandleyManaging Director, Care and Independence Systems Ltd

Tracey HellowellManaging Director, Just Care Products

James MalcolmAbility Matters Technology Group

GOVERNANCE

PATRON

Baroness Glenys Thornton,

Patron, became a working

Labour peer in 1998. From

1998-2008 she has served on various

select committees, and worked on a

huge number of bills passing through the

Lords - most of the legislation concerning

Children, the Disabled and Charities.

In addition to her role as Patron of

the Society, the Baroness is also Patron

of Social Enterprise UK, a Governor of

the London School of Economics and,

from her appointment in 2015, the Chief

Executive of the Young Foundation.

ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY PRACTITIONER ISSUE 5

We want to hear from our members, whether you have questions to ask, issues to raise or some experience you want to share with other practitioners.

General queries: E: info@hatsoc.org

Membership queries: E: membership@hatsoc.org

You can also follow us on Twitter for the latest news and updates: @hatsoc

Philip Woodward, Accreditation and Professional Development Manager

T: 0207 702 2141E: philip.woodward@hatsoc.org

Healthcare and Assistive Technology Membership

ADVISORY BOARD

The Advisory Board is Chaired by our

Patron, Baroness Glenys Thornton.

A body of senior figures from the

industry, either practising or retired, that

advise the society Council and make

recommendations for long term growth

and the achievement of corporate aims

and objectives. The Board do not instruct

the Society Council but advise it.

SOCIETY COUNCIL

The Society Council is the main

administrative body of the Society with

the following responsibilities:

• to ensure standards and the corporate

aims and objectives

• to oversee the achievement of

membership growth, renewal and retention

targets, as set out in the business plan

• debate/discuss procedural matters

relating to the running of the Society

• to monitor and analyse trends in

membership growth, renewals and

retention

• to report to and advise the Advisory

Board on matters concerning the

management of the Society

• to meet three times a year.

MEET THE COUNCIL

MEET THE ADVISORY BOARD

CONTACT THE SECRETARIAT

Many people working in assistive

technology haven’t had the backing of a

professional body that can help support

them in developing their knowledge

and skills, provide tangible membership

benefits, and offer a sense of identity.

The Society has been set up to

support practitioners in the industry,

also providing customers with additional

confidence that the person they’re

dealing with is a registered professional,

committed to a Code of Conduct and to

keeping their knowledge and skills up to

date. It will also enable them to check

the credentials of people coming to their

door with a central database.

Talk to us about how you can join the

Healthcare and Assistive Technology

Society by calling our membership team

on 020 7702 2141 or by visiting

www.hatsoc.org/joinus

9

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