Success at Naidex - Specialised Orthotic Services

Inside This Issue:
Community coffee morning
Product update – Mojo
We’re expanding
Focus on Nessie
Five minutes with…
Fundraising
SolutiOnS
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Summer 2013
New Website
Launched...
www.specialisedorthoticservices.co.uk
Our new website was launched at the
beginning of June. The last three months
have been spent creating nearly 200
pages of information and taking nearly 700
photographs A company the size of SOS
must have a website that accurately reflects
its products and services. Making sure
nothing is lost from the old site has been
important, so SOS has been working hard
to make sure the new website has the same
amount or more information and is useful.
SOS is hoping for more enquiries through
search engines such as Google and Bing.
The new knowledge centre on the site will
provide our customers with information
about spare parts, technical manuals and
product brochures. Every company no
matter how big or small needs a social
media page.
Success at Naidex
Nessie wins best in show
At the beginning of May SOS exhibited at
the Naidex Exhibition at the NEC. Naidex is
the UK’s largest disability, rehabilitation and
homecare event with over 300 exhibitors.
Featuring the latest products and services to
aid independent living. We were extremely
proud to win Able magazine’s best in show
award for Nessie.
Able Magazine’s regular reviews of disability
and mobility products have come to be
valued and recognised by disabled people
for their independence, trustworthiness and
simplicity. Products are tested by the real
experts – disabled people or carers who use
them on a daily basis. Products at the show
were judged on five criteria: value for money,
functionality, form/styling – does it “look the
business”, innovation and desirability.
Over the coming months we will be adding
to our Twitter feed @specialorthotic and
facebook pages. SOS can also be found on
LnkedIn, Google+, Pintrest and have a RSS
news feed.
There will also be the occasional competition
and giveaways. So when the links appear
like and follow our pages to keep up to date.
Each criteria is marked out of five, with
an overall product score derived from the
average of those scores. Tom Jamison
spent several hours walking around the
show judging all the products and came
back and presented Nessie with the award
as his winner. Sue Roe and Ross Jakes were
very pleased to accept the award on behalf
of SOS.
A review about Nessie will appear in the next
issue of Able magazine.
Coming Soon...
Look out in our next issue
for the launch of our PPod
Owners Club.
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Building on our success
Here at SOS, the place is buzzing about our new build! We’re
continuing with the tradition of investing in our facilities by
adding a new extension to our head office in Fauld, Tutbury.
This second extension in three years is now well under way and
is in line with our continued success in products and services.
Gordon McQuilton MBE, Founder and Managing Director of
SOS says “This will give us the opportunity to reorganise our
manufacturing capabilities for the long and short term so that
we can maintain our high standards with regards to customer
service for the future”.
We are hoping the new build will be ready by late July/ early
August and we will be having an official opening of the factory
around this time. Watch this space for an invitation coming to
you soon.
Community
Coffee Morning
East Staffordshire Children’s Centre
Product update - MoJo
SOS has developed the MoJo Wheelbase range which incorporates the lessons of almost
30 years manufacturing in special seating to provide the most versatile, reliable and attractive
solution to both clinical and individual needs of the wheelbase user.
Developed to provide a range of wheelbase options specifically designed for use with Special
Seating Systems, all MoJo Wheelbases have a unique ‘Quick – Lok’ interfacing system that
makes loading and unloading seating systems easy.
We held our first Community Coffee Morning
on 19th April at East Staffordshire Children’s
Centre. The aim of the day was to introduce
ourselves and our products to our local
community. SOS has clients all over the
country, but it was nice to get to know our
closest neighbours.
We held our event in
‘The Studio’ and had
around
20
people
attend, plus six children.
Our equipment was
set out for everyone to
get some “hands on”
experience of what we
have to offer and it was
great to see everyone
trying them out, sitting
in the P Pods and using the Nessies to
practice tummy time, long-sitting and
straddle sitting.
We had a variety of therapists, educational
and NHS staff attend, as well as interested
parents with their children.
If you would like to be added to our mailing
list so that we can keep you informed of
these and other events, please email:
mhateley@specialorthotic.com
The MoJo Lo has recently developed
for clients who require a lower than
normal wheelbase to deal with various
functional and practical needs that cause
problems when using conventional height
wheelbases. Tall or large clients for example
can be difficult for carers not being able to
see clearly when pushing such clients. Also
there may be functional need to facilitate
standing transfers for certain clients. The
Mojo Lo gives a readily available low height
Special Needs Wheelbase.
The Tilt & Recline MoJo is also available in
the MoJo range of wheelbases from SOS.
Offering a whole new dimension to the
MoJo range of special seating wheelbases
it gives ‘Tilt in Space’ and ‘Backrest
Recline Function’ to allow more versatile
adjustments with modular style seating
systems.
Some Clients have very complex needs
and depend on special equipment such
as ventilators and oxygen to manage their
daily needs. Having a unique carrier which
can be extended out to provide easy
accommodation of any such equipment
needed makes management easier for
carers and support staff.
The Mojo HD provided built in
accommodation for equipment essential for
clients with complex needs.
For more information visit our website
www.specialisedorthoticservices.co.uk
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Focus on...
Nessie
Nessie has been designed and developed by SOS to provide a new positioning
experience to enable parents, therapists and carers working with disabled
children to encourage good activities and physical development.
Nessie is manufactured from a comfortable, flexible low density foam moulding specifically shaped and designed to give effective
positional control during hands on therapy and relaxed fun.
Nessie provides a multi-positional device, which allows disabled children to be positioned effectively in a range of positions to assist
with developmental postural stimulation therapy. This is important in the early years for disabled children to promote progress with
overall postural goals and assist in postural management, and therefore improve overall health and well-being.
Nessie’s flexibility allows it to be easily manipulated into a wide range of positioning
options dependant on the posture required each session. The unique design means
there is no need for any other additional supports, so using Nessie is easy for the
therapist when moving from session to session.
The established range of primary positions associated with physical play therapy
can all be achieved using Nessie. This can include ‘tummy time’, sitting, side sitting
and side lying.
Crawling
‘on all 4’s’
“I have used the Nessie
to help pupils practice
long-sitting and it works!
It is snug and heavy and
supports them really well.
I plan to use it to practice
4-point kneeling with a
child.”
Physiotherapist working
in a Special School
‘Supine’ lying
on your back
Long sitting
Side lying
Sitting
‘straddle’
Prone ‘Tummy time’
Side sitting
Using Nessie is simplicity itself
“Nessie has been a
Godsend. It’s a great
positioning aid which is
more comfortable and
softer than other things
I’ve used. It’s helped him
to go on his tummy and
learning to sit by himself.
He really likes it.”
Parent
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Superheros visit SOS
SOS held a week of Superhero
fundraising events from 26th April –
3rd May, as part of Children’s Hospice
Week. Children’s Hospice Week is
organised by the national charity
Together for Short Lives. It is the UK’s
only charity week for children with lifelimiting conditions and the services that
support them.
We kicked off the week with a cake sale
of delicious hand-made, super-power
cupcakes, which were sold around the
factory. We then raffled a Superhero
Cake, made by the fair hands of a
member of staff and her son. Next, we
sold a Superhero Quiz to anyone we
could grab!
The week finished with a flurry of
Superhero costumes as staff paid to
dress up as their favourite character. We
had Batman, Superman, Spiderman,
Incredible Hulk, Catwoman and even
Batman’s Mother all working at SOS!
From the generosity of everyone £154
was raised. The money was presented
to Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice in Liverpool
on 15th May at their Open day.
Our congratulations to Jez Trivett who was lucky enough to win £100 off their next
SOS order by entering our competition at Naidex Exhibition. We hope Lewis enjoys
his new ‘P’ pod!
*All proceeds were donated as part of our Children’s Hospice Week fundraising.
Container number 7 arrives in Mexico
It was sent by MEDICT, the UK charity
adopted by SOS, and was full of disused
wheelchairs and other equipment which
can be adapted and given a second
lease of life.
MEDICT supports a charitable institute
Tom Jarvis
Name:
Tom Jarvis
Role:
Digital Media Executive
Time at SOS:
4 months
Congratulations
Lots of staff and volunteers, including
parents, helped to unpack the contents
of the 7th container to arrive in
Mexico, to help transform the lives of
disadvantaged disabled children.
Five minutes with...
in Mexico called Nuevo Amanecer
(New Dawn). The institute, celebrating
their 35th anniversary in September
treats and educates disabled children
and provides vital equipment and
expert training to therapists. The CAP
team have been out in Puerto Vallarta
on the Pacific coast providing training
in postural management for a whole
group of clinics and have been making
fantastic progress.
For more information, please see our
website or www.medict.co.uk
Hobbies/ Leisure activities:
I play and referee basketball and enjoy
drawing, if you cannot see me on a
basketball court or with an easel in my
hand I am at the gym struggling to lift the
lightest weights!
Are you a good cook?
I can’t say much for my cooking ability!
But I do cook a mean pasta bake.
What did you do before?
In the past I worked as a web editor
at Rolls-Royce PLC and an outdoor
playground designer for Timberline
Ltd. In my spare time, I have worked
on many freelance projects as a web
designer and product design consultant.
I am an industrial/product designer by
trade, having graduated Loughborough
University over summer 2012. I went
on to work for PDG Ltd a design
consultancy where I worked on several
projects, ranging from secret design
projects to footwear & point of sale and
websites.
What do you enjoy most about
working at SOS?
Having
studied
inclusive/universal
design, I have some experience
designing for disability giving me a good
understanding of SOS products and the
difficulties faced by those with complex
seating needs.
Working at SOS day to day is very varied
allowing me to use the knowledge and
skills I have accumulated to hopefully
benefit the company. It gives me a lot
of freedom and responsibility, so I call on
my experience to make good decisions.
Have you any plans for the future?
I am hoping that my responsibility at
SOS will continue to grow. The new
SOS website is due to be launched
and I hope to continue my involvement
with the Research and Development
department.
Unit 127/8, Fauld Industrial Park, Tutbury, Staffordshire, DE13 9HS
Tel: 01283 812860
Fax: 01283 520401
E-mail: enquiries@specialorthotic.com Web: www.specialisedorthoticservices.co.uk