PRESS RELEASE: The National Council for Child Health and Well-being officially endorses CECOPS’ Code of Practice for Community Equipment

The National Council for Child Health and Well-being has added its name to the long list of organisations supporting and endorsing CECOPS’ Code of Practice, joining other high profile supporters such as the Health & Safety Executive, Care Quality Commission and the Association of Directors of Adults Social Services, for example.

The National Council for Child Health and Wellbeing brings together in excess of 50 professional groups concerned with the health and welfare of children and young people across the UK. The Council shares information for lobbying and putting forward initiatives for the health and well-being of children and young people.

Dame Marion Roe DBE, Chairman, National Council Child Health and Well-being commented:

“Disability equipment is immensely important where child health and wellbeing is concerned. Some of the structures and processes in care services do not always allow for the right equipment to be provided in a timely way; this can have long term damaging effects to child health and development as well as being more costly. The National Council for Child Health and Well-being is delighted to give its endorsement to the Code of Practice for community disability equipment, and encourage its adoption across all organisations. We believe the Code will go a long way in improving the delivery of services for disabled children and their families.”

 

Brian Donnelly, CECOPS CEO, has welcomed the Council’s endorsement and says,

“Disability equipment is just as important for children as it is for adults. It is key for child development. Disability equipment for children is used extensively across the range of care and education agencies. For many years there have been difficulties with children’s disability equipment, often with long delays. I am very glad therefore The National Council for Child Health and Well-being has given it endorsement and full support to the Code. This latest endorsement shows the relevance, scope and application of CECOPS and the Code of Practice. It is an honour to have our work endorsed by such a prestigious Council, whose members include, for example, RCN, Council for Disabled Children, LGA, RCGPs, RNIB. This recent endorsement will help us immensely in promoting the Code in the UK.”

-ENDS-

Media contacts
For images, interviews with spokespeople or more information please contact info@cecops.org.uk or call 01494 863398
Brian Donnelly, Chief Executive, CECOPS CIC
07511 667 330
brian@cecops.org.uk

Notes to editors

About The National Council for Child Health and Well-being:
The purpose of The National Council for Child Health and Well-being is to bring together professional and lay groups concerned with the health and welfare of children and young people across the UK, and to share information, provide a discussion forum and to be a lobbying and pressure group to take forward initiative for the welfare of children and young people.

Chairman: Dame Marion Roe, DBE
Honorary Secretary: Fiona Smith, Adviser in Children’s and Young People’s Nursing, RCN

About CECOPS:
The Community Equipment Code of Practice Scheme, known as CECOPS, is a not for profit community interest company which has been set up to manage registration, training and accreditation of users of the Code of Practice for community equipment.

The Code of Practice is a recently written handbook. It is essentially a quality framework for the procurement and provision of services. It is primarily aimed at services in England, but also applies to other parts of the UK, and beyond.

CECOPS’ objectives are to assist all public and private sector providers and commissioners in bringing a high quality service to disabled children and adults, including elderly people, by promoting, encouraging adoption of, and providing training on, the Code of Practice for Community Equipment.

In terms of how the Scheme works: organisations, either commissioners or providers (including clinical teams), can register as working to the Code of Practice, as a Full or Associate Registrant, depending on their level of involvement with community equipment. Organisations can self-regulate/monitor their own compliance with the Code either manually or with CECOPS recommended software.

In addition, for reasons of credibility ‘Accreditation’ can be sought. Accreditation is optional, and involves external assessment of a registered user’s compliance with the Code of Practice. Assessments for accreditation are undertaken by DNV Healthcare, global leaders in Quality, Safety and Risk Management – DNV are the current assessors for the NHS Litigation Authority and the Macmillan Quality Environment Mark®

About Community Equipment
Examples of equipment types:
• home nursing, e.g. pressure relieving mattresses, ventilators
• aids for daily living, e.g. shower chairs, kettle tippers
• children’s equipment, e.g. postural support chairs
• sensory impairment equipment, e.g. flashing doorbells
• minor adaptations, e.g. ramps, grab rails
• wheelchairs (short term)
• communication aids
• telecare/telehealth, e.g. environmental aids.

CECOPS activities cover all public and private sector provision and all areas where equipment is used, e.g. health and social care equipment services, continuing healthcare providers, care homes, special schools, domiciliary care providers and hospices.