A NEW CENTRE FOR COMMUNITY EQUIPMENT
The borough's physically and sensory impaired residents will benefit from improved
facilities and services when Bexley's equipment service moves to new purpose-built, fully
accessible, premises on Saturday 8 December.
The service, called the Integrated Community Equipment Service (ICES), is currently based
at Thames Road Depot, Crayford. But from this Saturday it will be at Inspire Community
Trust in Whitehall Lane, Slade Green. It includes a warehouse, assessment facilities,
demonstration facilities, an equipment shop and a state of the art ‘Turbex’ industrial
washing facility that keeps used items separate, cutting the risk of cross infection, when
they are returned to the store.
Cllr Chris Taylor, Cabinet member for Adult Services, said: "The service is very important
as it supports the excellent work staff do to help people leave hospital as soon as they can,
and to support them to live in the community."
The ICES provides a range of equipment to ensure people with disabilities can live at home
with a degree of independence. Some equipment is only issued on a short term basis to
ease the recovery period following surgery, while other equipment will stay with the client
for long term needs. More than 300 different types of equipment, ranging from cutlery to
fully profiling hospital beds, are supplied by this service.
Mr Bhamra, Co-Chair of Inspire, who is a user of disability services, added: "The new
premises will also enable us to expand our ‘try & buy’ equipment shop. This will give people
a choice to buy services directly from Inspire therefore promoting independence and
enhancing the quality of their lives.
"Our equipment demonstration unit and the shop will provide a user-friendly service for
promoting health and well-being among people with physical disabilities and sensory
impairment, and for older people."
The new development is part of Inspire’s objective to continuously improve community
services for people with physical disabilities and older people in the borough.
Inspire is an independent user-led social enterprise and a registered charity which provides
a range of services in partnership with the London Borough of Bexley and local NHS. For
more information about the work of the Inspire Community Trust please visit
www.inspirecommunitytrust.org.