Recycling OT equipment
Caroline Petley, May 2013
Transforming Community
Equipment Services – COT 2008
 “Occupational therapists have the expertise to
assist people with selecting and using equipment
to help them engage in and achieve their
desired potential in life’s occupations” COT 2008
 “COT will: Support occupational therapists to
work with manufacturers to develop new
products made from recyclable materials, to
offer choice and value for money, and to meet
the changing expectations and needs of
equipment users.” COT 2008
 “Occupational therapists have the skills and
knowledge to advise about over-use or overspecification of equipment and timely withdrawal
of equipment e.g. during recovery or
rehabilitation. They are also skilled to train and
supervise other equipment assessors to ensure
they are competent” COT 2008.
Towards the development of a
policy of recycling assistive
technology for people living with a
disability, Vincent C (2000)
 ? responsibility is recycling of assistive technology
 Aim was to identify key elements that could
contribute to a successful policy for recycling of
assistive technology using a multidisciplinary
approach
 Interview members from the health sector,
community sector and industrial sector.
Results – elements considered to establish
effective recycling policy for assistive
technology
 Technocratic reasoning – rules, norms, legislation,
administrative. How equipment is chosen.
Provide a procedure for retrieving, recycling and
distributing.
 Management incentives – self financing of
delivery of equipment, philosophy of rehab,
uphold standards of recycling practices.
 Incentives to encourage professionals – having
administrators that facilitated delivery, incentives
from paying bodies, and mission statement by
employers/establishment.
 Professional/OT reasoning – Technical
knowledge, formulation, ethics, professional
practice.
 Commercial reasoning – Demand/need for
recycling, regulation of marketplace, making
profit, reactions from the industry.
 Ecological reasoning – environmental ideology,
integrating elements of recycling in design of the
product and (?) dangers of over-recycling.
 User satisfaction – short-term/long-term basis.
 Political reasoning – Shift to community based
care, economic and ecological responsibility,
accessibility, call for return of reusable equipment
from public.
Suggestions for OT’s
 Promotion of recycling assistive technology
 Raise awareness of how to deal with un-used
equipment to service users and staff at work
setting.
 Role of consultant for effective recycling scheme
in health care and guidelines for recycling
assistive technology.
 OT’s to refer to depots to train patients in
maintaining/ recycling equipment.
 Coordinator role at a political level.
Community Equipment Store –
West Sussex
 Each year up to £250,000 worth of loaned
equipment is not returned and 'lost’across West
Sussex.
 CES collect unwanted equipment free of charge
if it has a barcode
 It is then cleaned to the highest possible
standards and loaned to someone else who
needs it.
The 'most wanted' items are:
 pressure care mattresses;
 portable hoists;
 hospital beds at home;
 adjustable height commodes;
 bed rails/safety sides;
 bath lifts;
 perching stools; and
 slings (for lifting with hoists).
Stairlift Recycling Scheme
 non-profit venture pioneered by Major
Adaptations Ltd to remove unwanted stairlifts
from people’s homes
 Remove unwanted stairlifts free of charge and
recycling reusable stairlifts by repairing,
refurbishing and testing them.
 Any stairlifts that cannot be reconditioned or
used for parts are disposed of in a responsible
way through the Green Achiever Scheme.
 Provide high quality reconditioned stairlifts which
come with full comprehensive guarantees.
Recycling of Community
Occupational Therapy
Specialist Equipment
 Elaine Neill, Occupational Therapy service NHSCT presented a service development report.
 Assigned OT tech to establish recycling service.
 Produced a data base to ensure high ratio of
equipment was returned to stores.
 Reduce expenditure, more efficient use of
resources and waiting list for specialist equipment.
 Improved communication between CES and OT
staff.
Questions for audit
 Promotion of schemes such as stairlift recycling –
in hospitals, social services, and promoted in
estate agents?
 ? Local social services/nhs equipment databases
 ? Communication links between services
References
 College of Occupational Therapists (2008) Transforming Community
Equipment Services – Position statement.
 Recycling of Community Occupational Therapy Equipment byBritish
Association and College of Occupational Therapists on Apr 02, 2012
http://www.slideshare.net/baotcot/equiprecyclingelaineneillppt
 http://stairliftrecycling.com/stairliftrecycling/stairlift-recycling/
 Vincent C (2000) Towards the Development of a Policy of Recycling
Assistive Technology for People Living with a Disability, British Journal Of
Occupational Therapy, 63(1).
 http://www.westsussex.gov.uk/living/social_care_and_health/adults_lookin
g_for_support/help_to_live_at_home/equipment_and_adaptations1/community_equipment_service.aspx