Helping to make people’s lives better – and making savings too
August 2011

Thousands of Norfolk people’s lives are being made more comfortable every day thanks to the dedication of Norse staff.

Norse Community Equipment Services (CES) ensures that disabled people who need items of specialised equipment in their homes, from hoists and commodes to stools, recliner chairs and wheelchair ramps, get them – and get them on time.

Whether it’s an elderly person who is unable to cope without a raised toilet seat, or a disabled child who has to be lifted using a sling, staff at Norse CES ensure the equipment is delivered and maintained professionally, often tailored to people’s individual needs.

The work of Norse CES makes business sense, too, saving Norfolk County Council millions of pounds every year by recycling and re-using equipment while boosting Norse’s green credentials. And despite surging demand every year, the company has not significantly increased its staffing or resources.
The value of requisitions by health professionals has almost trebled to just under £6 million in the past nine years – and yet Norse CES has managed to keep spending on new equipment below £1.25 million. In 2010/11 alone, a remarkable 80% of the equipment provided to Norfolk people was stock that had been repaired and recycled by Norse CES staff.

Norse CES has a Key Performance Indicator target of delivering non-urgent equipment within seven days of order – with a 93.33% performance rate. It also has a 96% customer satisfaction rate, according to surveys.

Last year alone, Norse CES received 52,426 requisitions for equipment, including more than 111,000 items.

“Keeping costs down, repairing and re-using equipment and delivering real value for Norfolk County Council are all central to what we do,” says Stephen Bullock, Norse CES manager. “Also, we never forget who our service users are – the thousands of people around the county who need this equipment to make their lives more comfortable and often need it in a hurry. We are therefore delighted to have achieved such high customer satisfaction rates.”
What is now Norse CES was originally an in-house department of Norfolk County Council Social Services. In the summer of 2006, Norfolk County Council asked Norse to take over the management of the service and it is now based at the Norse HQ in Fifers Lane, Norwich.

The business currently has a staff of 59, including four temporary employees, along with seven service engineers based at Aylsham.

The Norwich site includes offices, a warehouse, a woodwork workshop making ramps and platforms, a cleaning room and a refurbishment room.

Norse CES has an arrangement with the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, supplying equipment such as raised toilet seats and bathroom fittings to patients in order to speed up their discharge from hospital.

It also provides services to some district councils and housing associations and has recently started working in the new NorseCare residential and Housing With Care schemes, which were transferred to Norse from Norfolk County Council.

Norse CES is developing a web-based requisition system which means that occupational therapists will soon be able to submit requests for disability equipment via online forms.

Commercial Director Paul Bonham says: “Norse CES and its hard-working staff are touching the lives of tens of thousands of vulnerable Norfolk people every year – and really making a difference to people’s day-to-day comfort.
“The business has a laudable and deep-rooted philosophy of recycling and re-using equipment wherever possible, which is saving millions of pounds for Norfolk County Council at a time when public funds are under huge pressure. It is therefore not only playing a key role in local life but delivering real value for money too – and that’s a powerful combination.”