Patients of Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke’s Hospital are holding on to £100,000 of vital hospital equipment each year.

Now, in a bid to recover the items, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has mounted a three-month equipment amnesty.

Running throughout June, July and August, patients can return vital pieces of equipment such as crutches, walking frames and dressing aids which can be re-used for future patients.

Physiotherapy manager Jill Gregson, who is leading the amnesty at the foundation trust, said: “Many patients simply forget to return the equipment that has been loaned to them by the hospital once they are no longer needed and instead store them in garages, cupboards or sheds.

“The idea of the amnesty is to encourage people to have a good look around their homes, including attics and garages, and to return any pieces of equipment to the hospital, so that they can be cleaned and reused by patients who require them.

“It is really important to us that we don’t want people to feel embarrassed when they return these items as we are just very grateful that they have been returned.”

“In this new era of austerity within the NHS the returned equipment will boost our stocks and help us to ensure we have the right piece of equipment for future patients. It will also mean that we don’t have to spend resources replacing items that are otherwise sitting around in people’s garages, sheds and attics.”

Bradford South public governor Mike Turner, who has been part of the working group responsible for bringing about the amnesty, urged people across the city to get involved.

Mr Turner said: “We are holding an equipment amnesty in order that the NHS doesn’t have to fork out needless money on equipment that people have forgotten to bring back. So if you or a family member have equipment at home which you no longer need or use, please return it to one of the various drop-off points so someone else can benefit and so that money can be saved and spent on other parts of the service.”

People can leave hospital equipment during the hours of 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, at Wheelchair Services in Cemetery Road, Bradford, and the physiotherapy departments at Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke’s Hospital.

  • Read the full story in Tuesday's T&A