Kent Community Equipment Service (KCES)
Information for people who use the service
Kent County Council (KCC) and NHS Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (KMICB) jointly commission the Kent Community Equipment Service (KCES). This service loans equipment into the community to support people in Kent to live in their own homes and is operated by NRS Healthcare.
This service does not cover Medway. Medway has an alternative service the details of which can be found here.
NRS Healthcare is responsible for the delivery, collection, maintenance, and repair of the equipment loaned through the KCES.
You can contact our local Customer Services Team by calling, emailing or through the contact form.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get equipment through the KCES?
Equipment is recommended by a health or social care practitioner, who will assess your needs and request equipment which is best suited to help you in your daily life or help your carer.
Please speak to your health or social care practitioner about your needs or contact your local council customer services if you are not seen by a health or social care practitioner.
What equipment might be provided to me?
The types of equipment loaned through KCES include walking aids, equipment used in daily activities including bathroom, moving and handling equipment, and some nursing equipment.
All equipment provided by us will have an NRS Healthcare label on which includes information to allow us to identify it.
What is not provided through KCES?
Wheelchairs, communication aids, environmental control systems and specialist equipment loaned through hospitals is not provided through KCES. This equipment will have a label containing the providers' details.
How long is the equipment available to me?
Your equipment is on loan to you for as long as you need it. The loan period differs from person to person. Your practitioner has told us how long they think you will need it.
If you decide you no longer need the equipment, please contact us. We will arrange a time and date to collect it from you.
The Community Equipment Recall Team may contact you if you have had the equipment for longer than your practitioner told us you would need it. A member of the Recall Team will talk to you about the equipment you have and find out if you still need it. If you no longer need the equipment, they will arrange for one of our team to collect it from you.
If I am moving out of the area, what do I need to do?
If you are moving away then please let us know as soon as possible and in plenty of time. You can tell us you are moving by completing our contact form or calling our Customer Services Team.
Your equipment belongs to Kent County Council and the NHS. It MUST NOT be taken out of the area.
It may be possible to take some items with you, but this must first be authorised by the KCES Team and the area you are moving to. Please speak to your practitioner or call our Customer Services Team to discuss. If you take items out of area this service will no longer be able to repair and/or service the items.
What do I do if my equipment breaks down?
If you have a problem with your equipment or it stops working, you can contact us, call the Customer Services Team or the practitioner who assessed you.
We will either repair the item or replace it for you, depending on the type of equipment you have.
We have an out of hours service for emergency repairs to hoists, beds or mattresses. This operates from 6pm (Monday-Friday) and 4pm (Saturday) until midnight (last callout). You can find contact details here.
If your equipment needs servicing, one of the NRS Healthcare team will contact you to arrange this.
What do I do if I no longer need the equipment I have been loaned?
All equipment should be returned to NRS Healthcare so it can be cleaned and reused or recycled. This can be done in a variety of ways:
Crutches, walking sticks, frames, perching stools, WC & bathing aids and any other unwanted smaller pieces of equipment can be returned to one of our hospital drop-off sites:
- Kent and Canterbury Hospital, Ethelbert Road, Canterbury, CT1 3NG
- William Harvey Hospital, Kennington Road, Ashford, TN24 0LZ
- QEQM Hospital Margate, St Peters Road, Margate, CT9 4AN
Equipment can also be returned at the following recycling centres:
- Allington Household Waste Recycling Centre
Laverstoke Road, Allington, ME16 0LE - Dover Household Waste Recycling Centre
Honeywood Road, Whitfield, Dover, CT16 3EH - Swanley Household Waste Recycling Centre
Pedham Place, A20/London Road, Swanley, BR8 8TJ - Tunbridge Wells Household Waste Recycling Centre
North Farm Lane, Tunbridge Wells, TN2 3EE
Alternatively, you can arrange a free collection by contacting our service centre or calling us on 01622 235300.
Please remember to return any accessories (such as batteries, chargers, slings, carry bags etc) you were provided with, and have these ready for the collection team, or return these yourself with your main equipment.
You, your carer, or a family member may also return equipment directly to our service centre in Maidstone. The full address can be found here. Please ensure you label all the equipment with the name and address of the person it was loaned to.
Some smaller pieces of equipment may not need to be returned – you will have been told if this is the case.
How can I get daily living aids if I am not eligible for equipment funded through KCES?
We offer a service called Safe+Well in your area. This is a website which allows you to complete a questionnaire about areas of daily living you might have difficulties with and recommends appropriate equipment which may help. Through Safe+Well you can also arrange for a private Occupational Therapy visit to your home and find details of local daily living retailers where you try and buy equipment.
You can find your local Safe+Well service here.
Important notes when using equipment supplied through the KCES
- Equipment supplied to you has been prescribed specifically for you. Please ensure nobody else uses it for any reason or purpose.
- Please use your equipment only for its intended purpose. Do not modify or adapt it in any way as this might be dangerous to you or others
- Ensure you follow manufacturer's guidance and / or any instructions provided with your equipment.
- If you are unsure of how to use your equipment, please contact our friendly team on 01622 235300 for free advice and support.
- Please inspect your equipment (including any slings, if provided) regularly, and keep your equipment clean using the instructions provided.
- If your equipment breaks, please contact us or book a repair via the MyNRS portal. Do not attempt to repair it yourself.
- Please do not permanently mark your equipment (e.g. engraving your name, permanent ink etc.).
- If you have any concerns or there are changes in your circumstances, always contact NRS as soon as possible to tell us what has changed.
- If the equipment is no longer needed, please contact us on 01622 235300 or via MyNRS to arrange a free collection.
Feedback
We aim to deliver a first-class service to all the people that we meet. We see all feedback, whether good or not so good, as a valuable way to learn and improve services. You can send compliments, comments and complaints through the Contact Form below.
Compliments
We love to hear good news stories from you when you have had a positive experience with one of our services, particularly where our staff have gone over and above your expectations. Acknowledgement of good service is a positive way to learn from you. Details of all compliments received will be shared with the staff members and team concerned, as well as at management level.
Comments
People who use the KCES service generally have the best ideas about how to improve it. We therefore welcome all comments about any experiences you have had or ways in which you may think we could do things better are welcomed. If you make a comment, this will be logged and passed to the relevant department or partner to act as necessary.
Complaints
We accept that although we do everything possible to ensure that you are treated fairly and properly as we would wish a member of our family to be treated, sometimes things can go wrong. It’s important that you tell us if you’re unhappy. All complaints will be treated in the strictest confidence and we always aim to resolve them quickly and, where possible, correct any mistake straight away.
We will acknowledge your complaint as soon as we receive it and will tell you who is going to review your complaint. If we can resolve your concerns immediately and you are happy for us to do so, we will tell you straight away what action we intend to take. If we can’t, we will come back to you and let you know when we aim to respond to your complaint in full.
After we have responded to your complaint we will contact you again to check you’re happy with the outcome and you feel that your complaint was handed fairly and properly.
Contact Us
If you would like to speak to the local Customer Services Team, please use the contact details below: Alternatively, you can complete the Contact Form.
Email: enquiries@kent.nrs-uk.co.uk
Telephone number: 01622 235300
Service centre address:
NRS Healthcare Ltd,
Unit B4,
Loc8 Business Park,
Ashford Road,
Maidstone,
Kent,
ME17 1WR
Customer service opening hours:
Monday-Friday – 8am-6pm
Saturday – 8am-4pm