Wednesday 1 March 2017

RBWM Return of unused community equipment

Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead

News Release

Campaign launched to return unused community equipment
The Royal Borough is launching a campaign to get unused household aids such as walking frames, grab rails, telecare and bed rails returned so they can be put back to use.

Community equipment can make a huge difference to residents’ lives but if it is not returned when no longer needed then it goes to waste.

The council provides equipment free of charge to help empower residents to live independently and wants to make sure the assistance is available to as many people as possible.

Any items that were loaned out by the Royal Borough can be returned by dropping them off at Alzheimers Dementia Support (ADS) in Maidenhead High Street under a new pilot scheme. For every piece that comes back a small donation will be made to the charity.

Cllr David Coppinger, cabinet member for adult services and health, said: “This campaign really is win-win situation – the more equipment we get back, the more we can offer assistance to vulnerable residents and for every item returned, a small donation will be made to charity.

“It never ceases to amaze me how much of a difference these small gadgets can make to residents’ wellbeing and by cutting the amount of wasted equipment we can ensure that even more people can benefit.”

The pilot scheme will start with small items of equipment being returned to ADS in Maidenhead but is expected to roll out to include drop off points elsewhere in the borough and then spread into a county-wide initiative.

For each piece of equipment that is returned through the shop the council will donate a small item to the ADS store which can then be sold on to raise further funds.

Larger items such as profile beds, mattresses, hoists, chairs and equipment used for personal hygiene e.g. commodes, toilet seats cannot be returned through the scheme.

Residents are asked to check that equipment did come from the Royal Borough before returning it. This can be done by looking for a sticker that provides the NRS name, says “to order a collection” and the NRS contact number.


Alzheimer’s Dementia Support can be found at 75 High Street, Maidenhead, SL6 1JX.