Appeal for health apparatus

MORE than 1,500 items of electrical medical equipment have not been returned to one Welsh health board in the past two decades.

Cardiff & Vale University Health Board is urging people to return the pieces of kit to be recycled for reuse in the community.

The health board said it aims to provide patients with the most effective medical equipment to give them the best possible outcomes.

A spokeswoman said: “If individuals or family members are in possession of a piece of electrical medical equipment that is no longer needed, then please let the health board know so that it can be returned, recycled and reused to help others.”

Electrical items that can be returned range from nebulisers or any equipment with a unique barcode number (eg R123456, B123456).

Andrew Norman, principal clinical technologist at Cardiff & Vale UHB said: “Whatever the equipment is or whatever condition it might be in, it can be assessed and safety-tested before either being repaired and reused or alternatively, stripped down to be recycled. No questions will be asked of any person returning equipment during this period.”

Equipment can be returned to Cardiff & Vale UHB Clinical Engineering Department, 20 Field Way, Cardiff CF14 4HY. For any inquiries please call 029 2074 5678.