Appeal to 'help us to help others' from trust behind Colchester Hospital
NHS loses thousands every year due to 'missing' crutches and walking frames.
Anyone who has been lent crutches, a walking stick or Zimmer frames by East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Trust is being reminded how to return them.
• Returning their walking aid directly to Medequip’s depot, at Unit 31, Bluestem Road, Ransomes Europark, Ipswich, IP3 9RR.
• Dropping it in one of the blue amnesty bins at the front of Ipswich Hospital.
• Leaving it at Colchester Hospital’s physiotherapy department between 8am and 4pm on Monday to Friday.
• Arranging a collection by calling Medequip on 01473 351 805 or emailing suffolk@medequip-uk.com.
Each piece of equipment is also clearly labelled so that patients know where to return it once they have finished using it.
Penny Cason, ESNEFT’s director of allied health professionals, said:
“The health service loses thousands of pounds every year due to unreturned walking aids, with some estimates suggesting that for every five pairs of crutches issued through the NHS, only one is returned.
“That is why we are reminding people how to return their equipment after use so that it can go on to help other patients in the future.
“Bringing back used equipment also gives us the chance to make sure it is thoroughly cleaned in line with our infection control standards, and has been safety checked by a trained member of staff to make sure it can be passed onto someone else.
“We would urge anyone who has borrowed equipment not to pass in onto anyone else but to return it to us so that we can make sure it can be safely re-used, in turn both benefitting other patients while also helping to save precious NHS money.”