Solihull Council is encouraging people to make use of a free collection service to return unwanted items of care and support equipment so they can be reused.
The Council delivers around 30,000 items of community equipment a year for adults and children with care and support needs. This includes crutches, walking frames or sticks, beds, mattresses, hoists, cushions, bath lifts and commodes. About half of these items are returned, once they are no longer needed, using the Council’s collection service.
Cllr Tony Dicicco, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, explains why the Council wants to encourage more returns: “We want to recycle and reuse as much of this equipment as we can. It’s part of the Council’s approach to sustainability and it makes sense financially. Community equipment allows us to improve our support for people in need, helping them to stay living at home for longer or supporting recovery after surgery or illness.
“We offer a free collection service so that people can return items of equipment they no longer use or need. Often families will have old equipment stored in a spare room, garage or shed and not really know what to do with it. Unless it’s a single use item we can collect it and find a new home for it.
Cllr Dicicco continues: “Using the form on the Council website people can let us know about the items they have and arrange a collection. We then check the items over, make any repairs needed and thoroughly sanitize them so they are ready to be reissued.
“We’ve been busy delivering items to people over the summer. Unfortunately, we can’t collect used items when we deliver new ones because of the risk of contamination. That’s why we are arranging additional collections over the next few weeks. I really want to encourage people to make use of these and return items they no longer need.”
Some of the equipment issued by the Council is single use and cannot be returned. Single use items are: urinals, sock aids (socks on), bed pans, long handled shoe horn, light weight cutlery and leg lifters.
Equipment issued by the NHS can be accepted unless it has a Medequip label. Residents should check the Medequip website www.medequip-uk.com for further information.
To request a collection from Solihull Council please use one of the following:
- Equipment collection request form
- Email: jointequipmentservice@solihull.gov.uk
- Phone: 0121 329 0900 option 2