Have you had a crutch from Gobowen's orthopaedic hospital?
With many patients from Newtown and Montgomeryshire, the specialist orthopaedic hospital is urging former patients to return unwanted crutches as it faces a shortage.
The amnesty has been declared at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH) by Physiotherapy staff as a way of replenishing their supply of crutches and saving the NHS some money.
Philip Hulse, Interim Manager for Therapies at the Trust, said: “Every week we hand out on average between 150 and 200 sets of crutches and at the moment we’re seeing very few returned to us.
“That sounds like a large number for a relatively small hospital but you have to factor in what we do here, crutches are given to anyone who has had a hip or knee replacement, keyhole surgery or any sort of leg operation.
“Each pair costs £7.15 to purchase and just this week alone we’ve ordered 200 pairs of crutches, which comes to more than £1,700 including VAT. That really adds up over the year.
“We’re calling on former patients, who no longer need their crutches to return them to us. They will be cleaned up and re-conditioned so they can be used again.”
Bev Tabernacle, Director of Nursing and Deputy Chief Executive, said: “We know people don’t set out to keep them and end up sticking them in their garages and in the back of cupboards and forgetting about them.
“Returning crutches is the last thing on anyone’s minds when they’re properly back on their feet again. However we do really need them.
“We are always looking at ways of saving money and have tight budgets so we really can’t stress the importance of returning crutches or any piece of hospital equipment that can be used again.
“If you have any crutches at home lurking in the garage or in the back of the cupboard, please return them. We would be very grateful, and you can help save your local hospital money.”
Former patients who have crutches that they no longer need can return them to the Physiotherapy Department at RJAH – Location 26.
