26 Oct Partner Spotlight: Health And Care
The Mobility Designed team recently “Zoomed” across the Atlantic to virtually connect with one of our most successful distributors in Europe: Health and Care. We chatted with Content Coordinator, Alex Cheesman, about the company’s history selling mobility products including one of our very own, the M+D Crutch.
When navigating a global pandemic, company loyalty is key to success
What started as a family business in 2008, Health and Care has grown into a thriving online retailer with over 40 employees that offers affordable medical, health, care and lifestyle products to individuals across the United Kingdom (UK).
Like the rest of the world, Health and Care has been impacted by the COVID-19 virus and most of its employees have been working out of their home since early 2020. Health and Care has had to make some changes and sacrifices due to the virus, but all of its employees have been able to continue working throughout the pandemic, “I am proud of how we have handled the pandemic as a business,” Alex said.
Fortunately, sales at Health and Care are going strong which has some senior management members pitching in on the front-line moving inventory. “They (senior leadership) helped out in the warehouse doing things like picking and packing, and dispatch. That is quite common at Health and Care – if something needs doing, we’ll get together and sort it out without really worrying who is or isn’t responsible for it,” Alex said.
Health and Care’s three-story office and warehouse
“We offer premium quality products to improve our customers’ quality of life.”
In the United Kingdom, many healthcare expenses are provided free at the point of use to all permanent residents. This public benefit is provided by the National Health Service (NHS), a public body paid for from general taxation. The NHS is free at the point of use and covers primary care, inpatient care, long-term healthcare, ophthalmology and dentistry. When it comes to mobility aids, permanent UK residents can get free, standard crutches, but anything outside of the standard mobility devices must be paid for out of pocket.
Alex has been with Health and Care for 5 years and leads a team of nine that produces all the sales and marketing content seen on the company’s many websites. Health and Care as a unique “longtail” strategy of creating online shops for niche products the company sells. “Our model is different because since 2015 we have been launching new websites targeted at specific areas within the healthcare market. We like to go in-depth in our information to really help advise our customers,” Alex said.
Alex and his team on a weekly Zoom call
Health and Care owns popular websites that offer everything from high end medical equipment to basic sportswear. The company first had its success with a safety gloves landing page, but since then have grown their portfolio to 20 active websites including www.healthandcare.co.uk, www.walkingsticks.co.uk and www.medicalsupplies.co.uk where you can find the M+D Crutch and other mobility products including hiking sticks and walking aids.
Health and Care’s introduction to Mobility Designed
Health and Care wanted to partner with Mobility Designed after attending REHACARE, the world’s largest trade show for rehabilitation aids in Dusseldorf, Germany in 2018. The Health and Care team visited the M+D booth and was impressed by the many features of the M+D Crutch and the mobility that people gain when using the product.
“We try to be a holistic solution to mobility – providing everything from wheelchairs for the severely disabled to ankle braces and ice packs that help to support people with minor injuries. The M+D Crutch sits very nicely on this spectrum. The thing that really strikes me about the M+D Crutches is their very modern design – a lot of crutch manufacturers don’t consider the lifestyle aspect so it’s good to see that Mobility Designed does,” Alex said.
Since working in the mobility space, Alex and his team have learned that not everyone has the opportunity to experience the best mobility freedom. “Where we see M+D being great is for people that have chronic conditions for whom a bit of an extra outlay on quality crutches will pay for itself in the improvement of their quality of life. To better facilitate this, we offer VAT relief on the M+D Crutches for people suffering with chronic conditions,” Alex said.
Health and Care likes working with the Mobility Designed team and products. For many Health and Care customers, “The Mobility Designed Crutch keeps what it promises and makes everyday life easier.”
Interested in purchasing a pair of the M+D Crutches from Health and Care in the UK? Click here!