Page 98 - BHTA 100 years

highlighting their legal duty to signpost those people who didn’t meet their eligibility criteria to an appropriate provider and suggesting BHTA membership as a useful indicator of competence and reliability.
In Autumn 2014 BHTA added a facility in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, which included space for both Section meetings and training courses to take place. BHTA Engage would also be allocated space
in the new premises.
BHTA extended its in uence towards the end of 2014, when it was announced that the Shopmobility network was to come under the management of the BHTA. Chairman of the National Federation of Shopmobility UK, Edward Trevor said: “Both organisations believe working together will help to forge new links and offer even better support for users.”
Trade Days, the event that had been conceived by BHTA Engage, was held for the rst time in October 2014. The very rst ‘trade only’ event in the UK, which was held on a Sunday and Monday, had 149 exhibitors and over 3,000 trade visitors, including businesses from the Pharmacy Show which ran alongside the new event. It was considered to be a real success by both exhibitors and the trade visitors. Richard McGleenan of Drive Medical said: “Trade Days felt very much like a square peg in a square hole.”
At Trade Days, BHTA launched The Healthcare and Assistive Technology Society (HATS), a professional body for individual practitioners in assistive technology, with Baroness Glenys Thornton being announced as the Society’s Patron.
BHTA 100 years
“Memories from...Kay Purnell
After joining the BHTA board
in 2013 I was asked to chair
the HATS society - a society for
BHTA member employees. Member companies follow the Code of Practice and HATS was set up to allow a members’ workforce to demonstrate ethical practice by individually signing up to a code of conduct. And so, to bring things right up to the present
day, we are now working with the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) to ensure our members are recognised for their skills when supporting
health and social care professionals
in a variety of settings and with a
wide range of less able, and often vulnerable, clients. It is expected that our customers, the NHS and social care will all demand registration with a Professional Standards Authority (PSA) voluntary register in the near future to help ensure the safety of their clients and HATS is well-placed to suppo”rt every BHTA member company.