Turning

Turning Points
Newsletter 2016 - Issue 03
In this issue
• Steeper awarded 7-year contract at the RNOH
• bebionic features in Visit England film
• Steeper exhibits at BAPO 2016

CEO message
Paul Steeper
A challenging start to 2016!
In this issue...
Cover story
bebionic user, Stephen Lowry takes flight!
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After an exceptionally busy 2015, it is fantastic to see the
continuous commitment and perseverance that has led
into the start of 2016.
As you all know, the New Year brought about a different
challenge for us, as we were significantly affected by the
severe flooding in Yorkshire over the Christmas period,
which affected many homes and other business across
the UK.
From the onset of this challenge, our employees and
valued customers have remained our number one
priority, and I greatly appreciate the support and
patience we have received during this difficult time.
I am pleased to announce that we are starting to see
real progress in our recovery, with the completion of
clean-up operations and plans to re-start production
back in Unit 7 imminently.
Despite this rocky start, this edition of our newsletter
shares a few more recent achievements and news from
our patients, customers and people, which I hope you
will enjoy.
As we move forward with our recovery, we ensure to
uphold our values as a business - to conduct ourselves
with care and sensitivity, to do the right thing, and to
focus on our patients - the real purpose behind our
products and services.
Best wishes,
• bebionic features in Visit England film
• Steeper awarded 7-year contract at the
RNOH
• Adrian Howden to take on World Series
Triathlon
• ‘Bio Nicky’ to run 2016 London Marathon
• Upcoming events
• Awards shortlists
• Steeper exhibits at BAPO 2016
• Steeper Clinic continues to create
turning points
• Abdo Haidar creates bespoke ski legs
for Heather Mills
• Case study: Shirley
Your feedback matters
What do you think of this issue of Turning Points?
What stories or content would you like to see
covered in the next issues?
Let us know by sending an email to:
marketingteam@steepergroup.com
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bebionic features in
Visit England film
Visit England recently created three non-commercial films,
to promote tourism in the area as well as encouraging
businesses, both local and abroad, to hold meetings,
conferences, and exhibitions in the North of England. A
wide range of notable businesses and landmarks were
featured; hotels, event venues, groundbreaking science
companies, art galleries, national heritage sites, and leisure
venues. One of these companies, was Steeper.
Due to the organisation’s keen interest in the bebionic aspect of the Steeper business, watch out for
Steeper stars - technician, Ellie featuring with bebionic small, along with bebionic user, Kevin Evison
cycling through the Peak District!
The film will be showcased online, and at a variety of events abroad to encourage companies to
consider Northern England as a destination for their annual events.
To watch the videos, visit our YouTube channel - youtube.com/SteeperGroup or scan the QR code to
watch instantly!
Scan with your
QR Reader app!
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Steeper awarded 7-year contract at the
Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital
Following a successful tender application, we are pleased to
announce that we have been awarded the contract to provide
prosthetic and orthotic services at the Royal National
Orthopaedic Hospital. Commencing on April 4th 2016, all
parties involved are excited to embark on this new,
innovative, 7-year contract.
As a specialist orthopaedic referral centre, the Royal National
Orthopaedic Hospital is located on two sites: Stanmore and
the central London site on Bolsover Street. From April, we will
provide the full clinical service and manufacturing solution for
prosthetics, and also manage the manufacturing for orthotics
in partnership with the NHS orthotic clinical services.
Following site visits, stiff competition and challenging tender
process, the success was once again the result of a fantastic
team effort across Steeper. The Royal National Orthopaedic
Hospital was and continues to be particularly impressed with
our commitment to working with the Trust in a true partnership.
Mark Davies, Steeper Rehabilitation Services Director, said, ‘The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital is a specialist referral
centre with an excellent national and international reputation. We are all looking forward to working with the team in the
continued development of their orthotic and prosthetic services’.
Following the signing of the contract, all involved in the tender process rallied round for a photograph, with the key team
including (from left to right):
• Claire Tamsitt – RNOH Operational Manager for Orthotic & Prosthetic Services
• Rachel Dalton – RNOH Head of Therapies (Clinical Director)
• Rob Hurd – RNOH CEO
• Mark Davies – Steeper Rehabilitation Services Director
• Darren Sterling – Steeper Commercial Manager & Project Manager for RNOH tender
For further information about Steeper’s orthotic and prosthetic service contracts, please contact Darren Sterling,
Commercial Manager – darren.sterling@steepergroup.com.
Adrian Howden to take on World
Series Triathlon in Leeds
Triathlon expert, Adrian Howden yet again has lined up numerous sporting
challenges for the 2016 season!
Following his success at the Brownlee Tri, finishing in the top six, Adrian’s
training is well underway, and he is particularly looking forward to the World
Series Triathlon in June, based in Leeds. Speaking about the event, Adrian said,
‘this is a great opportunity, as the event is the only World Series race ever to be
held outside London! The swim is in Waterloo Lake, followed by the cycle on
closed roads in to Leeds, and then for the final stretch, the run is based around
Millenium Square!’. For more information on the World Series Triathlon in Leeds
and to cheer Adrian on, visit http://leeds.triathlon.org.
Adrian’s other events for this season include:
16th April – European Duathlon Kalkar – Germany
4th June – World Duathlon – Spain
Adrian is currently using the Freedom Catapult foot for these events; a
significantly advanced C spring running foot that increases energy return,
allowing runners and sprinters to run further and faster, with less effort.
QR Code
Scan with your QR
Reader app for instant
Freedom Catapult
details.
For further information on the Freedom Catapult, scan the QR code above or visit www.steepergroup.com.
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‘Bio Nicky’ supports
Leonard Cheshire
Disability in 2016 London
Marathon
2015 witnessed the launch of the bebionic small hand.
With Formula 1 components and rare earth magnets,
the award-winning sleek, precise and perfectly formed
bebionic small was developed around the accurate
skeletal structure of the human anatomy. 30% smaller
than the medium, bebionic small suits women,
teenagers and smaller framed individuals.
Last year, the first UK user of bebionic small, Nicky Ashwell
who was born without her right hand, saw improvements
in her already active lifestyle, with bebionic enabling her
to lift weights at the gym, use the cross trainer with both
hands, and relish strengthening both sides of her body rather
than feeling unbalanced. Despite being put off by previous
prostheses, Nicky was surprised at the things bebionic
enabled her to do, saying, ‘bebionic small is advanced enough
to suit my active lifestyle, enabling me to achieve things never
before possible!’
Since her fitting with bebionic small at The London Prosthetic
Centre, Nicky has noticed its impact on social situations, with
people intrigued about how her bionic hand works and what
she can now achieve, as opposed to previous experiences
where people would be uncomfortable with asking. Nicky
is now using this lifechanging experience as an opportunity
to raise awareness of the problems that disabled people
face, stating, ‘I want to raise awareness of the problems with
infrastructure restrictions and society’s prejudices.’
Putting her words into actions, Nicky’s 2016 challenge is
to take on the London Marathon this April, supporting the
charity, Leonard Cheshire Disability. Nicky plans to represent
this charity due to their campaigning for change in the areas
of reducing stigma within society and encouraging thousands
of people in the UK and across the world to fulfil their
potential.
Regarding fundraising, Product Manager, Nicky
states:
‘I would like any funds I raise to be spent
encouraging and supporting young disabled people
to achieve their goals, especially in the fields of
business and sport’.
We are delighted to hear that Nicky will now embark
on this new challenge, and encourage other people
with disabilities to create their turning points.
Upcoming events
We are looking forward to supporting the
following events in the next few months. If you
will be attending, please come and visit the
team at the Steeper stand!
03-06 May - OT World (Leipzig, Germany)
07 May - Reach May Ball (UK)
09-11 June - Amputee Coalition (USA)
Awards shortlists
2016 Yorkshire Business Leaders Awards
Ted Varley, Technical Director at Steeper has
reached the shortlist for the 2016 Young
Yorkshire Company Director of the Year.
Good luck, Ted!
2016 MacRobert Award
Judged on innovation, commercial success
and benefit to the community, the MacRobert
judging panel are due to undertake site visits
at Steeper this month to establish the winner
of this prestigous award, held in London in
June. Watch this space!
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Steeper exhibits at
BAPO 2016
Earlier this month, Steeper exhibited at the annual
BAPO Conference at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry.
Attended by prosthetists, orthotists and students,
the event consisted of educational lectures,
graduate stories and satellite lectures in the plenary
to welcome speakers from the USA and Australia.
Steeper Clinic continues
to create positive
turning points
Following the flood over Christmas, Steeper Clinic has been
operating from Seacroft Hospital. Despite this upheaval,
the team are still dedicated to creating positive turning
points for their patients. One of which, is through providing
valuable repositioning advice to parents, to decrease the
likelihood or impact of plagiocephaly.
Steeper welcomed delegates to the exhibition stand,
showcasing the bebionic range and new-to-market
lower limb prosthetic solutions, including the new
Odyssey K3.
The Steeper stand also featured a chance to win an
iPad mini for whoever championed the ‘steady hand’
wire challenge! Congratulations to winner, Adam
Jones; successfully completing the loop in record
time of just 20 seconds!
Read one mum’s testimonial below.
“
We first noticed our son seemed to have
a stiff neck and his head was going flat on one
side when he was around 3 months old. We
took him to the doctors who referred him to the
physio for his neck and said there was
nothing we could do regarding his head and that
it would rectify itself as he grew.
After doing lots of research on the internet and reading
horror stories of people who were told the same information
and their children’s head did not rectify, I found the Steeper
Clinic in Leeds and booked an appointment for the next day.
I could not wait to get him seen and start whatever
treatment would be necessary to rectify the flat head. Kate
at the Steeper Clinic was fantastic. At our first appointment
our son’s head had a flatness measurement of 10mm, which
is on the high side of moderate. Kate advised us to see and
osteopath for the tight neck, and to do intensive
repositioning over the next 2 weeks to see if there was any
improvement, as he was slightly too young for a helmet.
Over the next 2 weeks we had ‘baby boot camp’. Our son’s
head didn’t touch the ground unless absolutely necessary
(i.e. when asleep). We bought the lilla kuddis pillow for when
he was asleep and got up every hour during the night to
make sure he was not sleeping on his flat side. We also saw
an osteopath every week to help free the tension in his neck.
2 weeks later when we returned for a re-measure there was a
dramatic improvement in his measurement as we had caught
a growth spurt.
He is now 16 months old and his head looks fantastic.
Nobody would ever know to look at him that there had ever
been a problem. We continue to be vigilant and turn him off
his ‘flat side’ if we notice it during the night.
For Steeper, the event brought a few successes
away from the stand; on the Friday evening, BAPO
awarded Steeper Technician, Terry Moore third place
for Technician of the Year! This success was closely
followed the next day by Lynzy Holding and Ian
Talbot’s presentation, ‘The Bikini Socket and Silicone
Socket Technology at Aintree Hospital’; resulting in
winning Best Free Paper! Well done, Terry, Lynzy and
Ian!
I cannot recommend Kate and the Steeper Clinic highly
enough.
I hope that this review helps other people who are in the
desperate state I was in after visiting the doctors, and gives
hope that repositioning can work. We were very lucky that
we caught it at just the right time.
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- Gemma Robinson
If you think you can beat the 20-second record set
by Adam, visit us at OT World in May to tackle our
‘steady hand’ wire challenge!
For regular advice on repositioning and ‘tummy time’,
follow Steeper Clinic on Twitter @SteeperClinic.
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Watch bebionic user, Stephen take flight!
Known as the ‘bionic man’ in Northern Ireland, bebionic user, Stephen
Lowry featured in the ’10 Things to Know About’ programme with
presenter, Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhain.
Focusing on ‘Body Tech’, the second episode of the brand new series
explored the cutting edge technology in prosthetic limbs and involved
meeting with Stephen Lowry. Demonstrating the different grip patterns
of bebionic, Stephen tells Aoibhinn, ‘I can stop it when I want it
to stop; it won’t act voluntarily’. Impressed by the range of movement,
Aoibhinn witnesses the extent of control, precision and dexterity that
Stephen now has for everyday tasks, such as holding a grape without
crushing it, shaking her hand, and tying his shoelaces.
Showing Aoibhinn the workings of the bebionic, Stephen tells of the
difference that the prosthesis has made to his life, ‘there is so much I
can do now thanks to bebionic, ‘I’m learning to fly – fulfilling a lifetime
dream!’ Describing the experience as ‘life changing’, Stephen climbs
into the cockpit of an Ikarus C42 and takes full control of the plane
with the help of his bebionic hand.
To watch the clip of Stephen in 10 Things to Know About, visit our YouTube channel -
Steeper Group or scan the QR for an instant link.
Scan with your
QR Reader app!
Don’t forget to send us your feedback and suggestions for our next issue!
Please send comments to:
marketingteam@steepergroup.com
Abdo Haidar creates
bespoke ski legs for
Heather Mills
With series 3 of The Jump underway, Heather Mills was invited
to re-enter the show and join the other competitors to battle
for the title of Ski King/Queen in the awe-inspiring winter
sports event!
Abdo Haidar, Director of The London Prosthetic Centre, worked closely
with Heather to design her ski leg for her world record challenge
in 2015 and has now created four brand new ski legs with further
enhancements.
One of these legs in particular, was designed with The Jump
competition in mind, and with the aim to create a leg with increasingly natural movements to mimic a real leg. Through
trial, error and hard work, this new leg features customised components to perfect the connection of the prosthesis
to Heather’s residual limb, whilst ensuring the angle of the ankle is aligned with her body to allow natural, symmetrical
movements.
Abdo’s experience of working with a number of ski coaches in the past allows him to understand the relevance of the ski
boot, movement and the body. Bespoke speed skiing, slalom, and jumping ski legs are a few of the prostheses Mr Haidar
has created as he continues to fine tune each one. With this knowledge, he has empowered a number of avid skiing
amputees to accomplish their skiing goals with complete confidence.
For further information about The London Prosthetic Centre, visit
www.thelondonprosthetics.com.
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10:30
Monday 17 th January
was the first time Shirley was able
to practise Tai Chi. It started many
years before, on a trip to China,
where she was inspired by the
martial art – but balance problems
prevented her from taking part.
That was until our orthotists studied
her condition, prescribing specialist
shoes and insoles, that were
carefully crafted by our technicians
then fitted bespoke to her needs.
All of which empowered her to sign
up for her first class – and gave her
the balance she needed to master
the 37 moves of Tai Chi Chuan, from
‘White Crane Spreads Wings’ to
‘Wave Hands in Clouds’.
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Case Study
Shirley Livingstone
Thanks to her new
orthotic shoes,
Shirley was able
to take her first
Tai Chi class with
Otley Action for
Older People.
The story
Ever since a holiday in the Far East
introduced Shirley Livingstone to Tai
Chi, it’s always held a special place in
her heart. However, ever since an injury
while fundraising for Cancer Research
in 1998 left her with a broken right
hip, Shirley has experienced balance
problems and an uneven gait.
An operation on her fracture at
Bradford Royal Infirmary pinned her
hip, with the pins being removed a
year later – but this made her right
leg almost a full inch shorter than
her left leg, meaning she needed
special shoe inserts to correct the
difference. However, there was always
a discrepancy, which exacerbated
Shirley’s balance issues.
The treatment
Working closely with Shirley,
Steeper’s orthotist drew on our wider
team’s expertise and innovation to
determine Shirley’s requirements with
unprecedented accuracy. Because of
this, our technical team could craft a
new pair of bespoke orthotic shoes that
gave Shirley unprecedented levels of
comfort without the need for additional
shoe inserts.
The turning point
Thanks to her new orthotic shoes,
Shirley was able to take her first Tai
Chi class with Otley Action for Older
People. Learning from Chinese-trained
instructor Colin Hamilton, set against
the backdrop of soothing Asian music,
Shirley suddenly found she had the
balance and poise to take part in the
complete range of exercises, from
four minutes of meditation to the full
sequence of movements – carrying a
range of active health benefits.
As a result, it’s more than Shirley’s limbs
and posture that feel better thanks to
her orthotic shoes. It’s her whole mind
and body that feel transformed after
every Tai Chi session.
To find out more about our orthotics
products and services, please contact
0113 270 4841 or email enquiries@
steepergroup.com.
Follow Steeper Group on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook
www.steepergroup.com
Published March 2016