NHS Trust launches equipment amnesty and urges patients to return unused mobility aids
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, which is located in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, has launched a ‘mobility equipment amnesty’ as its crutches and Zimmer frames stock run low.
Patients who have crutches and Zimmer frames are being urged to return their mobility aids to George Eliot Hospital. According to the Coventry Telegraph, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust has set up an amnesty cage for any items returned so people do not have to enter the hospital in a bid to reduce transmission of COVID-19.
The cage will be placed outside the hospital’s Rehabilitation Entrance (Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy Services).
Those who have no transport to return items to the hospital are advised to contact equipment providers Millbrook Healthcare (for those in Warwickshire) or NRS Healthcare (for those in Leicestershire), depending on the resident’s location, who can collect the mobility items from the patient’s home.
This is not the first time NHS organisations, local authorities and community equipment service providers have launched campaigns to encourage people to return unused mobility aids.
In February 2019, NRS Healthcare, Herefordshire Council and Wye Valley NHS Trust launched the ‘Hand it Back’ campaign to encourage residents to return unwanted medical equipment so it can be reused by other patients.
The campaign aimed to stop unnecessary equipment waste, as millions of pounds worth of equipment is currently loaned to residents in the community, some of which may no longer be needed.
Similarly, towards the start of 2020, Medequip installed an ‘amnesty bin’ in Harrogate to make it easier for people to return loaned mobility and independent living equipment.
A 2019 BBC report unveiled the extent to which equipment was failing to reissued by local authorities, CCGs and community equipment services, with a particular focus on lower-cost equipment such as crutches and walking frames.
The BBC investigation showed that councils throughout England spent £187 million on mobility aids last year, handed out around 3.5 million items and around 2 million items were returned.
https://thiis.co.uk/nhs-trust-launches-equipment-amnesty-and-urges-patients-to-return-unused-mobility-aids/https://thiis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/walking-frame-e1620650383821.jpghttps://thiis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/walking-frame-150x150.jpgNewsroomNHSSector Newsamnesty bin,crutches,George Eliot Hospital,George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust,Millbrook Healthcare,Mobility aids,mobility equipment,mobility equipment amnesty,NRS Healthcare,walking aids,walking frame,zimmer frameGeorge Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, which is located in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, has launched a ‘mobility equipment amnesty’ as its crutches and Zimmer frames stock run low. Patients who have crutches and Zimmer frames are being urged to return their mobility aids to George Eliot Hospital. According to the Coventry Telegraph,...Sarah SarsbySarah Sarsbysarah@thiis.co.ukEditorTHIIS Magazine