Introduction
The primary focus of the BHTA is to help people with disabilities or are less able than others to do the things that most of us take for granted. This is not limited to permanent disabilities or those with a registered illness. BHTA members will help anyone that needs assistance with day to day living through advice, mobility aids or any other assistance to help make life that little bit easier.
Members are grouped into sections that focus on specific areas of assistance. You can check them out here on the BHTA site where you can find a wealth of very informative information.
The BHTA code of practice
All member’s adhere to a Code of Practice ensuring you get advice and guidance about the products you need to maintain your independence. The Code of Practice has been granted full Office of Fair Trading approval under the Consumer Codes Approval Scheme (CCAS). BHTA is the first trade body within the Healthcare industry to have an approved code, which is now overseen by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute.
Getting Involved
There are almost 500 companies that represent over 17,000 people currently involved and are members of the BHTA. Becoming a member involves adherence and ongoing demonstration of the BHTA code of practice, failure to demonstrate this can result in expulsion from the association.
The general rule of thumb for any member company:
- Offer good advice
- Never pressure sell
- Provide value for money
Member meetings
The success of the association is driven by regular meetings where all member companies are invited to participate. These meetings are a great way for member companies to get to know one another. The meeting, which runs for approximately 2 – 3 hours is based on an agenda covering current industry specific topics or following up on previous meeting issues.
Often a guest speaker will be invited to offer advice on their particular field within the healthcare industry or to discuss issues that healthcare companies may be faced with during the course of their business.
Not all member companies are actively involved in these meetings but the benefits of membership are far increased through regular involvement and participation.
Giving back
Many of the BHTA members and section groups get involved in charitable causes. BHTA Steptember is an ongoing event where the Stairlift section are making a challenge to all BHTA members to walk 10,000 steps every day for the month of September.
All the monies raised will be donated to SCOPE www.scope.org.uk SCOPE is a charity that exists to make this country a place where disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else.
Where to find out more
If you’re a company and are interested in becoming a member, a great first port of call is on the BHTA site. Here is a link that gives some useful information and details on how to get started.
If you are an individual looking for a BHTA member company in your area then Here is a link to the BHTA page where you can find a local company that can help you.
If you have any questions about this Blog or would like to discuss the points we have raised, please do get in touch.