1.What is the current budget for Community Equipment Stores for Devon (mobility and independent living aids) for 2020/21?
£7,163,049 for 2021/22
2. What proportion of this equipment is actually reused or recycled?
85% of equipment collected was reused in 2020/21, 90% in current year. On average, 68% of equipment is collected as a percentage of that issued in year.
3. Why has a £30 lower limit been applied to collection and reuse of such equipment, and by whom?
The Commissioners (NHS Devon CCG and Devon County Council) set the £30 value limit for a single item to be collected. This is because any single item below this value costs more to collect, clean and refurbish than the cost of purchasing a new item.
4. What key performance indicators (KPIs) are applied to the current contract to ensure best value and environmental sustainability, as required under government guidance?
There are no environment and sustainability KPI’s within the current contract as this was not a requirement when the contract was tendered in 2016. There are collection & reuse KPIs.
5. Given that the Devon Independent Living Integrated Service (DILIS) contract with Millbrook is scheduled for recommissioning, what additional environmental and sustainability KPIs have been included in the contract?
The current contract will expire at the end of May 2024; as yet, the new service specification and contract terms to be tendered have not been drafted.
6. What targets for reuse of equipment have been met and where have there been difficulties? (e.g. specific collection sites, driver restrictions)
The equipment re-use target was set at 95%; this has proved difficult to meet for a variety of reasons, but mainly due to age of equipment, damage to equipment etc. meaning a slightly higher percentage of equipment has to be scrapped as it is beyond economic repair.
7. How are collection sites monitored?
DILIS issued equipment over £30 is collected directly from people’s homes. Lower value items can be left at a recycling centre and a regular schedule of collections is in place for each centre. If there are staff capacity issues within the service then deliveries and collections of key items required for issue are prioritised over an above recycling centre collections of lower value items.
8. Why are collection sites at recycling centres unprotected, outside and with no regard for the damage that wind, rain and temperature fluctuation can cause to the equipment.
It is not cost effective to provide shelters for low value items.
9. Are recycling centres allowed to sell the equipment collected and to whom do payments go?
Any items that Millbrook do not wish to collect (which can include privately purchased items) may be sold or scrapped by the site contractor.