Disability aids and equipment (Guide Under Construction)

Overview

Disability equipment can range from simple daily living aids such as cordless kettle tippers and easy grip cutlery, through to more complex items such as specialist beds and stair lifts. Mobility aids and equipment includes items like walking sticks, wheelchairs and mobility scooters.

This guide provides information on how to get disability equipment from your local Health and Social Care Partnership, as well as buying, selling, hiring and donating equipment. It also explains where you can get advice on different equipment types.

If you are looking for information on how to adapt your home to make it more accessible, see our Disabled Home Adaptations information guide .

Where can I get equipment from?

There are a variety of ways you can get equipment including:

• equipment provided by your local council or National Health Service (NHS)
• buying privately with your own funds from a shop or charity
• hiring equipment, usually for a shorter term need.

Your local council’s Social Work department and the NHS can provide equipment to individuals, following an assessment of your care needs. This is sometimes referred to as a community care assessment.

For further information see our information guide on An Assessment of Needs.

Buying (new) disability equipment privately

There are many local disability aids and equipment shops throughout Scotland, where you can purchase specialist equipment. If your local area does not have a shop, there are also lots of online shops where you can purchase equipment directly from their websites.

To find out where your local disability aids and equipment shop is, either call us or search our Scottish Disability Directory.

If you’re looking for a specialist piece of equipment that’s not on the market, REMAP Scotland is a charity that designs, manufactures and supply individual equipment and adaptation solutions for disabled people where no commercial solutions currently exist.

Buying & Selling Second Hand Equipment

There are a few ways to buy or sell second hand disability equipment:

• Check with the disability supplier you bought the item from if they sell second hand or reconditioned equipment. 
• Ask your local disability organisation or club if they know of any local individuals or organisations looking to buy/sell.
• Advertise locally through a newspaper, community centre or local library.
• Buy or sell on the internet. There are a number of websites where you can advertise or buy second hand disability equipment such as:

Disability Equipment Service – Listing equipment for sale is free of charge. 
Mobility Market– There is a fee to sell equipment.

MobilityBuyers– This is a company which will buy second hand disability equipment from you. Simply fill in their online form for a quote. Due to pickup costs from their premises in Preston, they tend to only buy Scooters and Power Chairs in Scotland.

General websites for advertising or buying products: 
Gumtree
Ebay
Facebook MarketPlace

Freecycle– This is a website where you can donate items for free/receive items for free.

Note: Always exercise caution when buying or selling online. Buying privately does not give you as many consumer rights as buying from a trader. 

Hiring Disability Equipment

The British Red Cross Mobility Aids Service

The British Red Cross provides a mobility aids service at locations across Scotland, where you can hire a wheelchair for short term use. The wheelchairs are for anyone over the age of 5, and can be hired for 1 to 20 weeks. Some of the centres also hire out other equipment such as backrests, bath seats, walking sticks, walking frames, commodes, bedpans and urinals. To order a mobility aid online, find your local Mobility Aids Service here or call 0300 456 1914.

Shopmobility

If you are going shopping or visiting local leisure facilities, you may be able to borrow or hire a wheelchair from the Shopmobility Scheme. There are Shopmobility outlets at locations throughout Scotland, often in shopping centres. You can hire manual wheelchairs, powered wheelchairs or powered scooters. Anyone with mobility problems can use the service- whether you have a long term disability or simply a broken leg. Some branches will lend wheelchairs for free, while some will charge.

To find Shopmobility schemes in your area, you can search on the Shopmobility website.

Hiring from Disability Equipment Stores

Some disability equipment stores and online retailers also hire out wheelchairs and other disability equipment. If you are struggling to find a store local to you, you can call our helpline on 0300 323 9961. 

Equipment Advice

If purchasing equipment independently, it is always advisable to get advice from a professional.

There are four independent living centres in Scotland (Falkirk, Dundee, Moray and Lothian). They host a permanent exhibition of products and equipment and professional staff are on hand to offer advice. Contact us for more information.

The Disabled Living Foundation (DLF) provide free, impartial information and advice on disability aids and equipment. Call the DLF helpline on 0300 999 0004 or use their AskSARA Guide. The DLF also produce two free online resources. Living Made Easy is an advice and information website about daily living equipment. AskSARA is an easy-to- use online self-help guide that is useful for people who are not sure what equipment might help.

Care Information Scotland provide a telephone and website service providing information about care services, which includes equipment and home adaptations, for older people living in Scotland. Their telephone number is 0800 011 3200.

Rica produce a range of consumer reports to help when purchasing equipment such as bathing and daily living aids, mobility aids and cars.

Donating Second Hand Mobility Aids & Equipment

Do you wish to donate a piece of disability equipment that you or your family no longer need?

It can be surprisingly challenging to find organisations which will take donations of second hand equipment. Due to health and safety regulations, many organisations and charities are unable to accept such equipment. Here are some organisations which will accept donations: 

Wheels to Heal

Wheels to Heal are a charity based in Glasgow which sends disability equipment to people in need, abroad. The equipment is mostly sent to countries in Asia and the Middle East such as Lebanon, Iraq and Bangladesh. Although they are based in Glasgow, they collect equipment from most areas in Scotland on a quarterly basis, and have locations where you can drop off equipment too.

You can donate items such as wheelchairs (manual and electric), zimmer frames, rollators, commodes, walking sticks, hoists, medical beds, shower chairs, and disability furniture. 

To donate, contact them on:

Telephone Number: 03333 446259
Email: info@wheelstoheal.org.uk
Or fill in the online Equipment Donation form

Recycle Mobility Centre

The Recycle Mobility Centre is a social enterprise which takes used mobility equipment, repairs it if necessary and sells it to someone who needs it, at a reduced price. They are based in Clydebank, but will usually pick up donated equipment from locations across the central belt.

They will take mobility equipment such as wheelchairs, power chairs, scooters, rise and recliners, and more!

The contact details are:

Telephone- 075 925 814 25 or 0141 261 3441
Email – mail@recyclemobilitycentre.com
Website- https://recyclemobilitycentre.com/donate-to-recycle-mobility-centre/

The British Red Cross Mobility Aids Service

The British Red Cross offers a hire a wheelchair service at their Mobility Aid Centres across the UK. These centres will sometimes take donations of wheelchairs and mobility scooters, if they are in good condition. Contact your local centre to see if they are currently accepting donations.

Medical Beds and Electrical Rise/Recliner Chairs

Wheels to Heal will take donations of Medical beds. Recycle Mobility Centre will take Rise and Recliner chairs.

However, furniture items including beds and chairs can also be donated to charities specializing in used furniture. Not all organisations can take electrical equipment such as Rise & Recliners,  so be sure to check before dropping off any equipment. 

Some examples of charities taking furniture include:

DEBRA – British Skin Condition charity with furniture stores to donate to, as well as a home collection service.

Society of St Vincent de Paul – Scroll to the bottom of the page linked to download information on donating furniture to this Christian charity in the central belt.

There are also many local projects such as:

The Edinburgh Furniture Initiative run by the Homelessness Charity Four Square
Phone number:  0131 557 7900
Email:  donations@foursquare.org.uk 

Furniture Reuse Project– Fife’s Second Hand Furniture Charity

Phone numbers: 01334 654445 (Cupar) or 01592 501068 (Glenrothes)
Email: enquiries@castlefurniture.org

For help finding a local furniture project in your area, please call our helpline on 0300 323 9961 .

Walking Sticks & Crutches

Walking Sticks and Crutches will be accepted by many high street charity shops. Always check with a store before dropping off items. 
For example, many Red Cross Charity Shops, will take these items.

Alarms & Monitors for the Home & Personal Use

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