‘An ongoing problem’: Hospital chiefs’ alarm over stolen wheelchairs
MISSING: Hospital staff are trying to find this wheelchair after the picture was posted on social media
By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor
Hospital chiefs have warned patients not to take wheelchairs away from Hull Royal Infirmary after two were abandoned in the street.
As well as limiting the chairs available to patients who need them, the thefts are also reported to Humberside Police.
The hospital is also appealing for help in tracing two recently stolen wheelchairs. They all have the portering team’s phone number on and will be collected if reported.
A photograph of the one above was posted on the HU5 Facebook page, and staff are trying to locate it so it can be brought back into use. The search is also on for another wheelchair seen this week dumped in the city centre.
Facilities manager Graham Taylor said: “This is an ongoing problem for us and has a significant impact on our patients.
“Our wheelchairs are there for our patients who need them and every one that goes missing is one less for someone who needs help to get to a clinical appointment.
“We understand that people sometimes take a hospital wheelchair to the nearby car parks to help a relative or friend into a vehicle, but they are manufactured for the hospital environment and not designed for prolonged outdoor use or to leave our sites.
“When you come to hospital with an injury or a condition that means you’re not able to get around without a wheelchair, you want to know that they are here and available for you to use – not taken off site and abandoned in the street.
“Patients and visitors can help to ensure they are easy to find by bringing them back to the designated holding areas when they have been used, so they are clean, dry, and ready for the next person to use.”
He added: “We have considered using trolley-style coin slots to encourage people to bring them back but that means that patients would need to have cash on them to access them, which doesn’t seem fair either.
“It’s really important to us that our wheelchairs are there when you need them so, if we do find one has been taken, the theft is reported to Humberside Police who work closely with our security teams to identify those responsible.
“We also work closely with local scrap dealers, who will contact us if anyone attempts to sell them one of our chairs.
“We also really appreciate your help in letting us know if you see one of our chairs that’s been taken off the site. A quick phone call on the number on the back of the chair really does make a difference to getting these returned for our patients.”