VELA Update - Covid-19

Date - 30-03-2020
Firstly, I hope you are well and managing to stay safe at this difficult time. We are of course doing our best to cause as little disruption as possible to the services we provide during this period. For all the latest information on the changes to our business operations, please visit https://www.bennett-workplace.co.uk/covid-19.php

The Good News is that VELA chairs are still in ongoing production, so we can still process orders for chairs and parts.

Vela have so far been able to keep their factory open and operational with a reduced workforce. The standard lead time for a chair to be manufactured and delivered to BWS is around 4 weeks. However, due to the current situation this cannot be guaranteed, therefore the lead time may be subject to delays.

Vela Assessments

We are currently unable to offer face to face assessments either at home, school or in the workplace. Instead, we can provide remote assessments done via a video link. Our Vela Specialist Assessors are experienced and able to recommend chairs using their knowledge of the common conditions and postural needs of children we deal with.

In order to recommend the correct size and equipment, our assessors would need to discuss each case with the Occupational Therapist in detail. They will also require the measurements of the child.

To request a remote video assessment please contact [email protected]

Vela Deliveries

Your VELA chair will be pre-assembled prior to delivery. Chairs will be delivered by a BWS technician who will adhere to our strict handover guidelines due to COVID-19.

We are unfortunately unable to enter your home / school / place of work during this time. Please be aware that chairs are heavy and could present a manual handling issue. If you are in any doubt as to whether you can take delivery, please contact a member of our team who will be happy to advise.

School Chairs delivered to home

If a chair has been ordered to be used at school but has not yet been delivered or you have an order for a school chair that you wish to place, we are happy to arrange for these chairs to be delivered to the child’s home address instead. That way the child will gain the benefit of the chair whilst being home schooled.

Chairs will be delivered to home addresses and setup using the procedures set out above.

Once the COVID-19 crisis is over, the chair will need to be delivered to school. This can be arranged either by yourselves or BWS can offer a collection and delivery of the chair for £50 exl VAT.

Setups

Setups will be provided via video-link until further notice. We can currently use either Facetime or WhatsApp video links to do this. You will be connected with one of our Vela Specialist Assessors, who will have their demonstration chairs in shot and will use these chairs to demonstrate and guide the parent or carer through the setup of the chair.

We would recommend that the child’s Occupational Therapist either joins the video call. If this is not possible then we would request the Occupational Therapist contacts the Vela Assessor prior to the setup to discuss the seating position they wish to achieve for the child.

Finally, if the occupational therapist is not able to join the video call, we recommend they make contact with the parent/carer after the setup to help ensure everything is correct.

To arrange a video setup, please contact Matt Teed
[email protected]

Fitting of Parts

Unfortunately, due to the restrictions currently in place, we are not able to complete the fitting of Vela parts to existing chairs. All outstanding orders that require the fitting of parts will be placed on hold until the restrictions are lifted. At this point, these orders will take priority and we will make contact to arrange a date for the fitting to take place.

We thank you for your understanding and continued support during this time.

If you have any queries or wish to discuss anything to do Vela be it an existing order or information on future orders, please don’t hesitate to contact Matt Teed.