People in east Kent are being asked to return mobility equipment they no longer need at dedicated drop-off points in Ashford, Canterbury and Margate as part of National Recycle Week (17-23 October).
This includes equipment loaned by the NHS or Kent County Council through NRS Healthcare, such as commodes, walking frames, raised toilet seats, shower chairs, free-standing toilet frames, perching stools, chair raisers, kitchen trolleys and wheeled walkers. Crutches can also be returned.
The permanent drop-off sites are based at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, Kent and Canterbury Hospital and QEQM in Margate.
Dame Eileen Sills, Chief Nurse at NHS Kent and Medway, said: “Since January, more than 375 items of mobility equipment, worth more than £11,000, have been returned to us for reusing. This is a fantastic response and we hope that, as part of National Recycle Week, we will see even more.
“The NHS in Kent and Medway is committed to cutting waste and reducing our carbon footprint. Reusing and recycling equipment that has been loaned to patients is one way we can save money and be more environmentally friendly.
“If you have equipment you no longer need cluttering up your home or tucked away somewhere, now is the perfect time to return to a marked container at one of the main hospitals in east Kent. Or you can return it in the usual way by phoning the number on the sticker to arrange free collection.”
People can drive up to the drop-off points which are located at:
William Harvey Hospital, Ashford:
Follow the equipment drop off signs around the back of the hospital. The container will be on your right just before the entrance to Spencer wing.
QEQM Hospital, Margate:
Enter the hospital via St Peters Road. The container is on the right of the maternity entrance doors.
Kent and Canterbury Hospital:
Enter the hospital from the Ethelbert Road entrance. Take the first right turn past the GP practice. The container is situated at the back of Car Park 3.
To arrange free collection of equipment with a barcoded sticker, please contact NRS Healthcare on 01622 235300.
People are asked not to leave wheelchairs at the drop-off points but instead phone Millbrook Healthcare on 0330 124 4485 to arrange free collection.