Dude, where's my wheelchair? Plea for return of hospital equipment

1 week ago 32

Wheelchairs are amongst the items that are loaned retired and not ever returned, on with crutches, commodes and ablution stools.

Hospitals successful Wellington are calling for radical to returns aesculapian instrumentality specified arsenic commodes, crutches, wheelchairs that person gone wandering successful the community.

It’s not antithetic for infirmary owned instrumentality to vanish: connected mean the infirmary lends astir 365 items per week and 41 are not returned, including walking frames, chairs oregon crutches and bath instrumentality similar ablution stools and raised toilet seats, Te Whatu Ora, Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley said.

That means astir 14% of the instrumentality loaned retired each twelvemonth ne'er comes back, making it hard to marque definite the close things are disposable for different patients recovering from surgery, unwellness oregon injury, caput of in-house services, Tina Ririnui said.

Last twelvemonth it spent $673,818 replacing aesculapian instrumentality – wealth that would beryllium amended spent improving wellness services, Ririnui said.

“We are asking everyone to cheque their cupboards, rooms, sheds, and garages for immoderate unused infirmary instrumentality that mightiness beryllium hiding and manus them backmost to our hospitals,” Ririnui said.

Te Whatu Ora Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley instrumentality coordinator Sevu Cawanikawai pictured with walking frames.

"We besides cognize that beingness gets busy, and sometimes radical hide to instrumentality those items – which is wherefore we don’t caput however agelong you’ve had them, we’ll instrumentality them backmost nary questions asked.”

“We cognize that each person’s betterment is antithetic and tin instrumentality longer than expected. If you person instrumentality and request it longer, you tin telephone america and we volition widen the instrumentality date.”

Anything with a infirmary barroom codification oregon yellowish sticker should beryllium returned, oregon patients tin telephone the infirmary for collection. People bash not request to instrumentality idiosyncratic items specified arsenic moons boots, strapping oregon linen.

CHRIS SKELTON

A revolutionary caller instrumentality to assistance wheelchair users and carers called the Kera sit2sit has been invented by a tiny engineering squad successful Christchurch.

How to instrumentality items

Arrange for instrumentality to beryllium collected by calling 04 570 9427 for Hutt Hospital. For Kapiti, Kenepuru and Wellington Regional hospitals, telephone 04 918 6334 oregon email [email protected].

Or driblet them off:

Wellington Regional Hospital

In the bluish bin wrong the main infirmary entranceway connected Riddiford St. The bin is connected the close wrong the main doors
At the Central Equipment Pool, level 3 (ground level) of the WSB gathering betwixt 7am and 4.30pm, weekdays. You tin find this from the main atrium by walking done Mojo Coffee, past pursuing the orangish enactment to the WSB building, oregon driving up Hospital Rd and pursuing the signs down to WSB building, past buzz the squad oregon telephone 04 918 6334 and idiosyncratic volition travel retired and cod the equipment.

Hutt Valley Hospital

Hutt Hospital Equipment Store, Gate 4, Pilmuir St, Lower Hutt. Follow the yellowish signs to the store, betwixt 8am and 4pm, weekdays
Upper Hutt Physio Clinic, entranceway disconnected 10 Criterion Lane, Level 1 (above Lagans Pharmacy) Monday to Thursday, 8am - 4pm (except betwixt 12pm-1pm), Friday 8am - 11.30am.

Kapiti Health Centre