Lunch & Learn with Millbrook Healthcare
Thursday, 19 July 2012 09:44
Millbrook Healthcare - Our Experience with the SSRP COSTS Team
An article by David Bradley, COSTS Project Manager for East Sussex County Council & Steve Morgan, Regional Operations Manager for Millbrook Healthcare.
My first meeting with Steve came from a cold call at their depot in Hailsham where I explained the COSTS concept and what we could offer to his company.
It was apparent from the start that Steve had a very positive attitude to Occupational Road Risk Management and was very keen to be involved and could see the benefits of our knowledge to improve driver safety for his team. This was backed up with Millbrook Healthcare doing well in our free COSTS Occupational Road Risk Review
Steve was keen to run a ‘Lunch and Learn’ session for his team and liked the format of a two-way interactive session so that the drivers and management team could be fully involved in creating a safer working environment. I would point out that this was not because the company had problems with their drivers but that updating awareness could only be a good thing.
Judging by the feedback from the drivers on the session they also felt this was a worthwhile exercise and there were even requests for regular updates. I am very pleased to report that Steve is now taking our presentation out to the other depots to spread the message.
Steve’s Evaluation
Millbrook Healthcare provides healthcare equipment and services on behalf of local authorities, Social Care and NHS Trusts, across the UK.
The Company currently employs 120 field based technicians and drivers who will make approximately 450,000 visits a year to residential properties across the UK, using company vehicles to do so. In East Sussex alone we will make c37,000 journeys. This activity represents a huge risk to the Company in terms of driving time, accidents, safety, insurance, vehicle maintenance, costs etc. and this means the Company are obliged to manage those risks and costs, reducing them where possible.
We got involved with COSTS as this offered us another avenue in which to raise awareness, look at our drivers behaviour, habits, their knowledge of legislation linked to their profession etc. and to put a session together which allowed us to encourage better driving behaviour and the reasons why this is necessary for all parties concerned.
David spent time with me to understand what our company does and what messages and information we wanted to get a cross to the driving team based in Hailsham.
The session was very well received by all those who attended and provided a platform in which to look at other areas of our fleet and driver management.
With our telematics providers we have looked at other areas linked to driving behaviours such as fuel efficiency, driver time management, and carrying out driver assessments on line and on the back of this we have put together a program of safe & efficient driving awareness sessions for all of our depots across the UK so we are consistent in our approach and our management of employees who drive for the company.
I am pleased to say the Millbrook Healthcare Board of Directors has made driving safely and efficiently one of its main objectives across the group, looking at employee safety, costs, environmental impact etc – this session was the catalyst for that and this all stemmed from David popping in to our Hailsham depot one day and having a quick chat.
David’s input on this has been quite simply invaluable. Not all local authorities, councils etc. provide such a useful resource. In East Sussex we are lucky this facility is available to us and it shows East Sussex County Council’s commitment to road safety, and we at Millbrook Healthcare will do everything we can to support that and actively encourage others to do so too.
To find out more, or to book an Occupational Road Risk Assessment for your company, please contact us today to discuss your requirements.
