Stryker and Medtronic among UK’s best employers THE SUNDAY TIMES has named medical device companies Stryker and Medtronic in its list of the 100 ‘Best Companies To Work For’ in the UK.
Stryker UK was ranked as the 32nd best company to work for, moving up from 44th in 2007. Medtronic UK made its debut appearance in the list at 63rd place.
 The Sunday Times Best Company to Work For survey ranks companies on the basis of feedback from employees. Participating companies are evaluated on a wide range of criteria to determine overall employee satisfaction. The 2008 listing was based on over 180,000 entries from 868 companies.
STRYKER UK, a leading company in orthopaedics and wider health technology, saw its place in the listing move up 12 places to 32nd.
Louis Efron, Human Resources Director, told On Target: “Because healthcare is such a demanding and competitive industry, it is absolutely critical that we have the very best people working for us. We have consistently grown our operating income by 20% per annum for the past 28 years simply because we have great people making, marketing and selling great products.”
Mr Jonathan Eldridge, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Avon Orthopaedic Centre in Bristol, commented: “It really doesn’t surprise me that Stryker have moved so impressively up the Top 100 league table! Every representative of Stryker’s I have ever met shines. They seem to have a genuine interest in what’s best for me, and more importantly my patients.”
Based in Newbury, Berkshire, Stryker UK markets, sells and distributes a broadbased range of products in orthopaedics and other medical specialties.
MEDTRONIC UK was ranked 63rd among the 100 best UK companies to work for in the Sunday Times survey, and also received a 2-star rating for being an outstanding organisation.
“We will use this success and the feedback we receive from the process to build on the work we have already started to make Medtronic an even better place for our employees to work,” said Geoff Morris, Medtronic’s Regional Vice President UK and Ireland. 
Feedback from Medtronic staff indicated they feel they can make a difference to the firm (77%) and contribute to its success (81%), feel proud to be working there (85%) and find their jobs stimulating (78%). Medtronic gained the survey’s third highest score (84%) for making a positive difference to the world we live in.
Medtronic sells medical devices and services to help people with chronic diseases. The company’s UK subsidiary has been based in Watford since 1987. | Medtech SME sponsors global conference UK MEDICAL DEVICE COMPANY Aircraft Medical sponsored the 14th World Congress of Anaesthesiologists (WCA) in Cape Town, South Africa last month, alongside Baxter and Draeger.
This sponsorship reflects Aircraft Medical’s growing importance in the field of airway management. Held every four years, the WCA is the foremost world conference for anaesthesia professionals.
 The company’s McGrath® Series 5 Portable Video Laryngoscope was demonstrated by a panel of US and European experts at the congress.
Matt McGrath, Founder and CEO of Aircraft Medical, said: “We are aiming to position the McGrath as a globally recognised brand and to underline this, we are delighted to sponsor this market-leading conference.
“Our product has recently been put into use at the world’s largest hospital (the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital) and at the Groote Schuur Hospital, the home of the world’s first heart transplant, both of which are in South Africa.”
Matt McGrath was named ‘Young Scot of the Year’ for 2008 by the Institute of Contemporary Scotland, in recognition of achievements in creating new technology and advancing healthcare with Aircraft Medical. | Medipex wins Innovator Award  Medipex, the NHS Innovation Hub for Yorkshire and Humber, has won the region’s ‘Innovation Champion 08’ award.
The Innovator/08 Awards were presented by broadcaster Michael Portillo in a ceremony at Leeds Town Hall, hosted by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward to showcase the best of Yorkshire and Humber’s innovative companies.
Portillo noted Medipex’s achievement in identifying 600 ideas for healthcare-related innovations. Medipex has played a direct role in creating five new businesses and bringing 27 new products to the market.
Richard Clark, Chief Executive of Medipex, said: “This award recognises the hard work and efforts of all our staff, as well as that of NHS organisations from around the region. Winning a truly cross-sector award like this shows that the healthcare sector within Yorkshire and Humber is at the forefront of innovation and development.”
Medipex is one of a national network of NHS innovation hubs that manage and exploit intellectual property arising from within the NHS. | G2 appoints Northern Regional Manager G2 Sales Recruitment has appointed Kirstine Morris as Regional Manager to head up its new Northern Office in Newcastle. The appointment strengthens the company’s permanent and contract resourcing solutions to the healthcare market.
“Kirstine brings G2 a wealth of healthcare experience as a nurse, sales person and more recently a National Sales Manager in the medical device sector. Her knowledge is a fantastic benefit to our clients and candidates, and by heading up our new Northern Office we can now offer a truly national coverage,” said Paul Budd, Manager at G2.
 “Kirstine’s skills in recruiting healthcare sales professionals for her own team previously, and her high levels of understanding within the NHS and the private sector, mean she can bring an extra dimension to our team. We all look forward to her coming on board.” | HSP appoints new Web Manager  HEALTH SECTOR PUBLISHING has appointed Jagdeep Oubhie as Web Manager.
Jagdeep, who has worked at HSP for almost two years, will be responsible for managing the company’s online portfolio including www.healthcarejobs.co.uk and www.ontargetmag.com.
“I am thrilled to have been offered this important position and to take on a new challenge,” said Jagdeep. “Online strategies are now central to the growth of businesses across all sectors and publishing is no different. The opportunity here at HSP is very exciting. I have come on board with a fresh new outlook for our websites and have my own ideas of how we can further improve the sites for our growing user-base of clients and candidates.”
As Business Development Manager, Jagdeep helped to develop HSP’s service sector business and was responsible for introducing the company’s unique, targeted products to new markets.
For more information on HSP’s websites, contact Jagdeep on 0870 609 2834 or jagdeep.oubhie@healthpublishing.co.uk. | Advance Recruitment goes for Gold  HEALTHCARE RECRUITMENT specialist Advance Recruitment Solutions has launched a ‘Gold’ graduate service.
Advance’s standard service offers a traditional contingency approach to recruitment, whereas its ‘Gold’ service offers candidates in the graduate market a special ‘Bestsellers’ programme of training and development while placing them in sales roles across the UK.
Abbie Kirkham, Sales and Marketing Director at Advance, has over six years’ experience of recruitment, covering both temporary and permanent sectors. She commented: “Graduate recruitment is so exciting! It’s so motivating to think we could be interviewing the next Managing Director or Sales Director of the future!”
However, Abbie noted, graduate recruitment is about interviewing thoroughly to ensure the best service possible. “We interview every candidate individually to ensure they are the right fit for a company. We take our time to get to know clients, and we extend the same service to our graduates.” | |
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