State-of-the-art community equipment site is unveiled in Liverpool

Richard Kemp CBE, the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, has officially opened a new state of the art equipment site which aims to help residents and those registered with a GP in the city to remain independent and mobile in their own homes.

The Lord Mayor was accompanied on the visit by Mersey Care’s Chair, Rosie Cooper, who also served as the same title for Liverpool between 1992 and 1993. The new site at Mersey Reach, Dunnings Bridge Road, Bootle, is run by Mersey Care and will assist even more patients through the delivery, collection and maintenance of equipment.

This will, in turn, help reduce hospital admissions and ease hospital discharges while the service anticipates they will be able to deliver over 40,000 items and collect over 35,000 items annually. Recycling rates are expected to improve, too, from an already impressive £3 million savings on equipment last year.

“It’s great that this facility has been made available to the people of Liverpool,” said the Lord Mayor. “No one really wants to stay in hospital any longer than they need to and this equipment should help people recover in their own home, in familiar surroundings with family and friends around them – I had no idea there was so much equipment available to enable that to happen.”

Ms Cooper explained: “Access to prescribed equipment and maintenance at this new state of the art site will make a huge difference to our patients and service users around the city. Receiving the right equipment at the right time enables people to be safely discharged from hospitals, promoting independence and mobility in their home environment. This is so important to improve people’s wellbeing and will lessen the burden on hospitals across Merseyside.”

Mersey Care is hoping the move to the new venue will also encourage returns of equipment from people’s homes. Those with unwanted items can call 0151 295 9816 to arrange free collection so equipment can be cleaned and safely reused.

Liza Alexandra, Mersey Care’s Clinical Service Manager, added: “The move to Mersey Reach is fantastic not only for patients as we will be able to deliver vital equipment more quickly, but for staff and partners too, as we will be able to bring more services in-house to improve efficiency”.

“Please can I also encourage people to return any unwanted equipment like walking frames, bathing and toileting equipment and other daily living aids, as it costs the NHS millions of pounds every year.”

The equipment service delivers seven days a week and can be accessed via any registered healthcare professional making a referral on behalf of a patient.