Locks put in after theft of wheelchairs from Stafford Hospital

Patients have been stealing wheelchairs to make their way home from Stafford Hospital, prompting bosses to introduce an anti-theft locking system.

Twenty wheelchairs worth £600 each have been removed from the hospital site and not returned, costing Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust £12,000.

Chiefs today announced 50 chairs had been converted to a coin operated locking system, similar to that used by supermarkets to deter people from snatching trolleys. To release a chair, users will have to insert a £1 coin or trolley token, with the cost refunded once the wheelchair has been returned.

Chris Eccles, associate director at Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust which runs Stafford Hospital, said bosses felt they had no option but to act after the thefts over the last four years.

He added: "We do not think the wheelchairs are being stolen for scrap because we sometimes find them in pub car parks or on paths – from what we can gather people are using them to get home, or halfway home. What we would say to anybody who is worrying about bringing them back is, please return them. We would be very happy to see them."

And he warned people suspected of stealing wheelchairs they could face prosecution.