2021 - A year at THAY Medical
A sense of deja-vu! That is what it feels like right now as I write this blog post. One year ago, the pandemic was in a similar place to what it is now, this time a little better I hope, but the threats of lockdowns and curfews is never a positive thing (although it does reduce the chances of testing positive for the virus!). And here we are dear reader – one year on.
So, what has happened in one year at THAY Medical? Actually, a lot if I really think about it! So here is a quick summary of the past year with the THAY Medical team!
January to March
The year started positively. Firstly our annual ISO 13485 audit was met with no non-conformities or non-compliances, a good bill of health for the company to grow upon. Our Director of Projects and Quality (Alicia Garcia) added to the team with the addition of Tina Worsnop to assist the important focus on continuous improvement and office management. We also added to the Human Factors team with Nye Canham joining us from Cambridge.
Things were positive!
With the restrictions from the pandemic continuing to restrict our study and test activities we had to find solutions – and we did! We converted a large part of the warehouse into a brand new home environment simulation laboratory. This meant we could improve the fidelity of simulated-use studies and perform them in-house. Additionally, we were able to travel to the US and perform US-based Human Factors studies. This was due to the efforts of Vaidas Nenorta (Lead Human Factors Engineer) who managed to get to Seattle for a large customer!
April to June
With the slow lifting of pandemic lockdowns, we were able to resume face-to-face usability tests and human factors studies and begin to travel again. We continued to perform studies in the USA with Vaidas leading these activities and added to the team with a new Marketing Coordinator (Frida Markemyr) who, along with Vaidas, gives us a Swedish influence in the team!
We completed the home-use simulation laboratory and used it for the first time with a successful wound-care usability study led by Nye. We quickly moved on to use it again, this time for a drug delivery device usability study which was performed with efficiency and accuracy.
Our Managing Director also had time to speak at a Med-di-Dia event and promote Human Factors Engineering to an interested audience. It was a busy time for the team, and we continued our delivery of Human Factors projects with success – aiding in even more Covid-19 projects and improving our internal processes to protect participants and our team from the transmission of the virus. The main office in Dorset, UK was improved to ensure protection of study participants from the car park, through their study sessions and back to their transport. Since the start we have taken the pandemic very seriously, surviving by remote testing in the early days of the virus, and now we had really good rules and protections for all participants and staff in place and shown to be effective!
July to September
The summer months, often quieter due to the vacation-season, was not. The team continued busy, and the summer was spent on projects to complete them and to start new projects for the final part of the year! We always know that the later months of the year are busy times, and this year was no exception! We decided to add to the team, and we welcomed Jake Whelan and Greta Nizinskaite to the Human Factors team to aid with our consultancy services!
THAY Medical attended Med-Tech UK 2021 in Birmingham, with Alicia, Frida and Greg entertaining prospective customers for the duration of the conference! We also learnt many things about stand building on a large scale including how to- and how not to do things!
October to December
So, a real achievement to grow upon – THAY Medical completed its largest Human Factors study in its history! A challenge to complete in an even shorter time than planned, but the team pulled together to achieve this, alongside a marathon of three consecutive US-based studies! Four weeks of study with two teams required a high-level of dedication and is something we could not have achieved without our network of recruiters and of course our team on the project!
Following this huge effort, THAY Medical went to Spain to exhibit at Farmaforum 2021 in Madrid! This time we innovated and exhibited a slicker stand – with again the super-team of Alicia and Frida engaging our prospective customers! Alicia in her element with the chance to speak her native Spanish!
We ended the year with a Summative Usability Study and the addition to the team of Leanne Verwey to, again, grow our Human Factors team with a focus on user experience. Finally, the THAY Medical team had the chance to unwind a little with our own Christmas party! Bournemouth was the destination and in particular the outdoor ice-rink for some of the team. Since Greg had broken his foot running, he had the ideal excuse not to get on the ice, but most of team enjoyed the ice skating a lot!
I know I speak on behalf of everyone at THAY Medical in saying that we wish our current customers a Happy Christmas (if you celebrate it) and to everyone a Happy New Year 2022 (again if you celebrate it on January 1st or later). We plan to perform our services for you, smiling along with you all the way! We only wish one thing this Christmas and that is for everyone to keep safe!
Greg Thay, Managing Director.
If you would like to know more about THAY Medical, do not hesitate to contact us on +44 (0)1258 881600 or email enquiries@thaymedical.com
