Did you know that by returning your no longer needed walking aids such as crutches, frames and walking sticks, you could have a positive impact on the environment and help your local NHS hospital save money?
Here at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, we have launched a new walking aid return and reuse scheme where items will be cleaned, checked, and reused for other patients in need of mobility support. We are encouraging our local communities to check their cupboards and under the stairs for any eligible unwanted equipment before returning it to our handy drop off points at Queen Alexandra Hospital.
To help raise awareness about the recycling points, stickers are also being added to walking aids being issued from now to help people find a location near to them.
If just two out of every five walking aids were returned, we could save up to £46k per year and by reusing a refurbished walking aid, carbon emissions reduce on average by 98% when compared to using a new walking aid.
We can accept metal items including:
- Metal walking sticks
- Walking frames
- Crutches
We cannot accept:
- Wheelchairs
- Personal equipment such as commodes
- Wooden walking sticks
Where do I drop these items off?
We have blue collection bins located at Queen Alexandra Hospital in the main entrance (A level, near PALS), fracture clinic (C level) and entrance to the Discharge Lounge. Remember you can park for 20 minutes for free in our main or north multi-storey car parks to help with dropping off items.
Please give any items a wipe down before bringing them to the hospital.
What happens if items are unusable?
Our therapies team will check and clean each item before it is reused. If any items are found to not be safe for use again, they will be recycled through our waste management system and taken out of circulation.
Any questions?
If you have any questions, please email pho-tr.