Suffolk residents are being urged to help the NHS by checking cupboards and garages for unused crutches and walking frames, as part of an amnesty on equipment returns.

Equipment such as commodes and toilet frames are regularly issued to people in their own homes to support their recovery and quality of life. However, items such as these can go missing when a patient has fully recovered; costing local NHS services money and potential delays to new patients receiving equipment.

Crutches, specialised cushions and hoists are also in demand and residents who have any items that are no longer needed in their home can get it picked up for absolutely free through Medequip, the company that supplies the equipment.

Laura Rawlings, contract manager for the community equipment and wheelchair services at WSFT, said: “We know people are always wanting to support their local NHS services, and one really easy way to help us at the moment is to ensure any unused community equipment you have been issued by the NHS in your home is returned to us.

“The collections are completely free and all we need you to do is pick up the phone and let us know you have some NHS community equipment, and the Medequip team will sort the rest.”

If you or a loved-one has an item of NHS equipment that is no longer needed, please contact Medequip to arrange a free collection via:

Telephone: 01473 351805 (option 1)

Email: suffolk@medequip-uk.com

Their office hours are 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday – Friday.