Usually, the provision of loaned medical equipment is based on the potential for such a loan being clinically effective, and is not based on financial situations of the applicant. The only exception tends to be those patients who are cared for in private nursing homes.

We have been frustratingly unable to find much information about these schemes in general, a good port of call could be the governments own direct.gov website, however information seems scant, we will investigate further, and if you can assist please feel free to get in touch.

Medical Loans Services can often provide a wide range of equipment, from large expensive items such as specialist electric beds to smaller every items such as commodes, for example we discovered the Gwent Heathcare trust offer items including:

• Specialist electric profiling beds
• Variable height hospital beds
• Pressure reducing and pressure relieving mattresses
• Pressure reducing and pressure cushions
• Suction machines (excluding consumables e.g. tubing and filters
• Commodes
• Wheelchairs
• Unibeds
• Mattress elevators
• Bed cradles
• Cot Sides
• Cot Side Bumpers

You can be referred to the loan service by any of the following; District Nurses, Discharge liaison Nurses, Hospital Occupational Therapists, Community Paediatric Nurses, Community Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists from Learning Disability Teams, Community Psychiatric Nurses

For details on this type of Medical Loans, we suggest your first port of call be your local primary care trust, who should be able to point you in the right direction for help.

You local branch of the British Red Cross may also be able to help, so it may be worth also contacting them for advice.