Airedale Hospital launches amnesty to recover items (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Airedale Hospital launches amnesty to recover items

2:50pm Tuesday 7th February 2012 in Keighley By Claire Lomax

Volunteers and staff at Airedale Hospital have joined forces to declare an equipment amnesty in a bid to find lost wheelchairs, walking aids and other equipment.

Friends of Airedale, one of the charities that raises funds for patients at the Steeton hospital, and hospital staff have urged people to return any equipment they no longer need.

They believe a vast number of chairs, walking aids and other equipment may be stored away in garages, lofts and spare bedrooms. An amnesty in Bradford last year, resulted in the return of equipment valued at £3,000.

Kelvin Whiting, therapy services manager at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said: “When wheelchairs or walking aids are no longer needed people sometimes forget to return them or, if something’s broken, they worry about returning it. But we can often repair them or take serviceable parts to maintain others.

“We are appealing to people to bring back wheelchairs and other equipment they no longer use, which will boost our stocks and help to ensure we have enough wheelchairs and walking aids for future patients.”

Eileen Proud, chairman of the friends, said: “Each wheelchair costs around £400 so even if just a few are returned it all adds up. It also means we don’t have to spend our resources replacing items that could be gathering dust in people’s homes.

“We want to reassure people that we aren’t worried about how long the wheelchairs have been kept which is why we hope that if people know they can return them without any comeback, then hopefully this will encourage them to do so.”

Wheelchairs and other equipment can be dropped off at the main entrance next to the shop on level one between 10am and 2pm, Monday to Friday.

For people who do not have transport to take equipment back to Airedale Hospital, they can call the charity’s patient transport service on (01535) 294626 between 9.30am and noon, Monday to Friday and arrange for it to be collected. Messages can be left on the answering machine at other times.

Meanwhile, the Friends of Airedale have bought four customised wheelchairs to help less mobile patients to get around the hospital site at Steeton.

Friends chairman Eileen Proud said the group was there to help all patients, from the least mobile to the most agile.

She said: “Young patients must be amused, hence the new play area in the outpatients department, and those with sports injuries and less mobile need wheelchair assistance, hence we have provided four customised wheelchairs which are quite expensive.”