Physiotherapy Technician turns walking aids recycling into award-winning project

Physiotherapy Technician Rob Skellett is passionate about the planet. 15 years ago, working on the Trauma Wards at the University Hospital of Wales, he noticed that used crutches, walking sticks and walking frames were being thrown away rather than reused.

The waste didn’t sit well with him. “We can’t be throwing these things away,” he thought and so single-handedly he began refurbishing them and campaigning to change the practice. “Recycling wasn’t the thing to do back then, but I knew it was the right thing to do. I had to believe in it and fight to do it. Personally, I’m really pleased where we are now”.

Rob is now the Walking Aids Manager running Cardiff and Vale UHB’s Walking Aids Recycling Scheme, which in June was awarded the ‘Spread and Scale’ Award at the NHS Wales Sustainability Awards.

“I felt proud to receive the award”, he said. “I am passionate about sustainability so it pleased me more than any other award would’ve done.” Rob describes himself as “an outdoors guy”.  “I fish, I love my dogs, I love being in nature. I love our planet. But we’re in such a mess with it. Any little thing I can do to help I want to do. And I can through my job.”

Six years ago, his recycling mission expanded through meeting one of the managers of Cardiff’s HM Probation Service in the corridor at University Hospital of Llandough. Rob said to him, “Pity you can’t do the walking aids. I’m forever refurbishing walking aids!”. Through that encounter a partnership was established.

Rob now trains the probation supervisors in cleaning to IP&C standards and provides the cleaning equipment. They then train people on probation to check and refurbish the walking aids. “It works really well. They love helping the NHS and it provides a constant stream of work. It helps to keep their clients meaningfully active and trains them in cleaning well, with some going on to cleaning jobs. We used to spend a lot of clinical time refurbishing. But where we are now is a different level”

Last year 1943 walking aids were returned and refurbished, 1799 crutches and 208 walking sticks. “This year we’re on course to save about £60k”, he said.  

When a piece of equipment is returned, the team do a safety check to ensure it is fit for recycling. If not, they are currently trialling a zero-waste policy, stripping the equipment back to its component materials and recycling them appropriately. If it is safe it is cleaned according to IPC standards.

Rob is passionate about recycling the equipment and makes a real effort to spread his enthusiasm. “I go around training Physio departments to be able to identify a good bit of kit and how to clean the aids, and I say, “we’re going to clean, we’re going to be green!”. He was recently given the opportunity to speak to Swansea Bay University Health Board and help them set up a similar scheme. “I was buzzing for it”, he said. “The scheme is only as successful as how engaged the clinicians and patients are.”

Rob said, “Currently around 60% of walking aids are returned by patients but there is room for improvement”.

To find out how and where to return the walking aids just click here.