Zimmer amnesty in our hospitals – if you borrowed walking aids, give them back!

Hemel Hempstead Hospital is joining its West Herts counterparts in calling for loaned walking aids to be given back.
Walking aid amnestyWalking aid amnesty
Walking aid amnesty

Hundreds of pairs of crutches and walking sticks are missing from the town hospital as well as the nearby Watford and St Albans sites – and staff say they want them back, no questions asked.

The equipment amnesty is taking place across all three West Herts hospitals.

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According to the NHS Trust which runs the facilities, items which are not returned cost thousands of pounds to replace, and the wasted money could be better spent on front-line services.

Michelle O’Grady, matron for the children’s A&E department at Watford, said: “We know that returning crutches or other equipment is the last thing on anyone’s mind when they’re back on their feet again and getting better.

“However, we feel it’s worth reminding people to just have a look around and ask them to hand crutches and other hospital equipment back in if they’ve inadvertently hung on to it.

“The amnesty will give people the chance to clear out the crutches that have been cluttering their home for months and will help replenish our stocks.

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“We won’t ask questions or criticise people for holding on to them. We’ll just be happy to have them back.”

Return any walking aids or other borrowed equipment from Watford, Hemel Hempstead or St Albans hospitals to where they were supplied, or visit www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk for more about the Trust.

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