Devon County Council

Community equipment (or Simple Aids to Daily Living - SADLs) such as walking frames, trolleys, perching stools and raised toilet seats help millions of people to remain independent.

For these smaller items of equipment we have introduced prescriptions to give people more control and choice over the equipment they use.

Following an assessment, we will give a prescription for exchange at an accredited retailer of your choice, free of charge. This could be a local mobility shop or pharmacy. The customer will then own the prescribed equipment.

When people exchange their prescription they have choice. If you want something with additional features or a different colour or brand they can pay the difference, known as a ‘top-up’. They will be shown how to use the equipment and given any necessary instructions adjusting and setting up the equipment in their home. Relatives, carers or friends may collect items and fit them for people.

“I got the prescription for raised toilet seat the other day my husband to collected it for me from the pharmacy in town. I paid a little bit more out of my own money as a ‘top-up’ so I could have a cover that matched my bathroom.”

From 1st November 2010 prescriptions were issued in Eastern Locality. The rest of Devon started issuing prescriptions from 1st December 2010.

The current Community Equipment Service (CES) requisition arrangements are to remain in place for those people who do not have a retail outlet nearby or who cannot use a prescription.

Community Equipment Prescriptions will serve over 75% of the needs for Simple Aids to Daily Living across Devon.

Benefits of the new arrangements include:

• People can choose the retailer and the product that meets their needs
• People have greater control over the service they receive
• Ownership of the equipment passes to the user at the time the prescription is exchanged
• The market for Aids to Daily Living will grow creating a universal marketplace
• Financial savings for DCC/ACS and NHS Devon
• Sustainable service better able to provide service with the growth in demand expected from an ageing population in Devon.

Further information

• Four new Community Equipment Factsheets are now online at www.devon.gov.uk/factsheets
  Community Equipment Prescriptions - FS 58a
  Community Equipment Retailers: FS58b - Exeter & East Devon, FS58c South Devon and FS58d - North Devon
• The Community Equipment Retailers List factsheets will be updated with more retailers that are accredited, as and when this happens. Make sure you download a current version, or call Care Direct on 0845 155 1007 for and up-to-date list of retailers.
• The ‘Using Your Community Equipment Prescription (1.16MB - pdf help)’ leaflet - telling customers all they need to know - will be issued with each prescription.
• The South West retailers map (1.22MB - pdf help) shows current retailers across Devon (printable version updated August 2011)
• Look out for this logo (below) in shop windows soon!