Medical equipment
| "My wheelchair meant I could start going out with my family and friends again."
Find us near you |
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Our volunteer-led medical equipment service provides wheelchair hire and short-term loans of equipment in almost 1000 outlets in the UK, helping tens of thousands of people every year.
How do we help people?
The medical equipment service helps people return to their own homes after illness or surgery, enables them to go on holiday with friends or family, and promotes independence. The main types of equipment provided include:
wheelchairs
backrests
bath seats
walking sticks and frames
commodes, bedpans and urinals.
What skills and training do our volunteers have?
Our volunteers have good interpersonal skills and an understanding of the differing physical needs of service users. All our volunteers are also provided with basic training in social care and first aid skills.
How do I get in touch?
If you would like further information, please get in touch with your local Red Cross branch office. Equipment is usually available within 24 hours in an emergency and is loaned free of charge, although a refundable deposit may be requested. We also welcome donations from our service users, which help us to continue providing this valuable service.
Could I volunteer for this service?
Without volunteers, we would never be able to give people the help they need in a crisis. Because we offer so many services across the UK, we depend on people who generously give up their time to help others. Become a medical equipment volunteer
True story: Slippery tale has happy ending
When five-year-old Anna Leeburn slipped on the bathroom floor and broke her leg in two places, her family were very worried about how they would cope.
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| Poor Anna – from Bangor, Northern Ireland – had her leg set in a full-length plaster cast, making it very hard to get around. To make matters worse, she wasn’t given a wheelchair at the hospital and was told she was too young for crutches. | | |  | |
Their plight continued for a fortnight, until a family friend mentioned the Red Cross' medical equipment service to Anna’s grandmother, Vera Kerr.
Invaluable support
She contacted the Belfast office and Anna was quickly issued with a child’s wheelchair. After two long weeks with no walking aid at all, Anna was delighted to be mobile again and her parents breathed a sigh of relief.
Mrs Kerr said: “Having the wheelchair has given Anna back some independence, and helped her get out and about with the family. Without the chair, Anna would have been stuck at home for weeks, which would have made life very difficult for the whole family.”
Learn more about the medical equipment service
Become a medical equipment volunteer
First aid training | |
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