The Rotorua hospital is calling for the return of wheelchairs and other equipment Photo/File
The Rotorua hospital is calling for the return of wheelchairs and other equipment Photo/File
Rotorua residents are being asked to return any wheelchairs or other Lakes DHB equipment they may find in their homes and storage spaces.
There will be no questions asked if wheelchairs or other hospital items are returned to the front entrance of Rotorua Hospital.
The call for the return of equipment is prompted by a current shortage of wheelchairs.
Missing wheelchairs is a recurring problem but a shortage of walking frames and crutches is adding to the pressures for staff wanting patients to have the right equipment to use in their homes following a hospital stay.
Some 17 wheelchairs have gone missing from areas in the Rotorua Hospital in the past three years, including several from the Emergency Department, and most of the wheelchairs belonging to the Medical, Surgical, Orthopaedic and Birthing Units.
Security Manager John Nieuwoudt said people use the wheelchairs to take their relatives to their cars when they are discharged from hospital and many do not return the wheelchairs to the hospital.
"Depending on the type of wheelchair, the price can start at $1300 and rise to about $1900 per chair, so the hospital is unable to simply replace them when they go missing. We can not afford to replace as many as we would like, and it does create problems for some patients who need help to get to their cars." he said.
The Rotorua hospital is calling for the return of wheelchairs and other equipment Photo/File
Lakes DHB staff also spend a lot of time tracking down family members where equipment has been loaned and trying to retrieve the equipment. When all else fails, the matter can be put in the hands of debt collectors.
Patients and their families are able to use a wheelchair located in one of the hospital units or in the emergency department to transport patients out to their cars, but the ongoing removal of wheelchairs can mean the equipment is not always there when needed.
Several years ago Lakes DHB began purchasing wheelchairs that can not be collapsed and easily put into the boot of a car, but the wheelchairs have still continued to go missing.
It's thought larger model cars or four wheel drive vehicles can still accommodate an unfolded wheelchair.
Physiotherapy Team Leader Ann McKellar said walking frames and crutches are items that are in especially short supply right now. She said both these items are often issued to patients going home from hospital, and the DHB needs to get back its equipment, once people have recovered and no longer need it.
Mrs McKellar said some patients can experience delays in being discharged from hospital, because of the lack of loan equipment items for patients to take with them to use at home.
"We would really like members of the public to check and if they have hospital equipment, in particular walking frames and crutches in their homes, we would love to have them returned to us as soon as possible." shed said.
Lakes DHB hoped that news of the wheelchair shortage will result in those people who borrow the wheelchairs returning them promptly to the front door of Rotorua Hospital as soon as their relative is in the car.
People who locate hospital equipment and return it to Rotorua Hospital will not face any questions or any action. However the next time they have a relative in hospital needing a wheelchair, or a walking frame, or crutches, they might find that the items are not in such short supply.
