Assistive Technology Loan Bank – South Yorkshire Children and Young People
The loan bank pilot closed on 28th March 2025. We are collating feedback and outcomes from this pilot project and will produce a report to the ICB which will be uploaded here in due course. If you have any feedback about your experience of the loan bank, please contact us.
South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board funded a limited pilot loan bank of Electronic Assistive Technology (EAT) equipment for Children and Young People in the region from April 2024-March 2025.
Loans were for any piece of EAT not provided by the specialised services. We have a resource with some examples of the equipment available for loan and our local service resource pack also includes a fuller range of items that may be appropriate for you to loan.
Loans were for 3 months maximum and should support assessment of need, in order to aim to provide equipment from local funds. Loans were made for the purposes of a local professional’s own personal exploration and learning. The request did not need to be linked to a specific client. Equipment was managed by the Barnsley AT team -i.e. the equipment was cleaned, data cleansed, electrically and functionally tested, and recommissioned on return to stock.
Context
Electronic Assistive Technology includes equipment that supports those with often complex disabilities to communicate and interact with their environment NHS England commission specialised services to provide assessment and equipment to some of those who require this support, but the majority of provision of Assistive Technology is from local, ICB commissioned, services.
A recent report, commissioned by the South Yorkshire ICB, highlighted significant gaps in the Electronic Assistive Technology pathway and identified a number of opportunities to improve access to this equipment, in particular for children and young people with learning and/or physical disabilities. There are national drivers and strategies to improve the availability and use of technology in health and social care provision and to improve the support of those living with complex and significant disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy or Autism.
A key recommendation from the Access to Electronic Assistive Technology report was to have a regional equipment supply service for Electronic Assistive Technology equipment that is not provided via specialised services. This equipment includes non-specialised communication aids, technology to support interaction and skill development such as switches, and eye-gaze systems used for activities and exploration.