Equipment

If you are parent or carer of a child or young person with a learning difficulty or disability, you may require some specialist equipment to help that child or young person to develop and/or to help you provide their care.

Reading Borough Council and West Berkshire Primary Care Trust provide some specialist equipment and are committed to working together to provide a good equipment service and information for parents and carers so that they know what equipment may be available.

The types of equipment are those to support:

• posture (eg. chair, sleep systems)
• communication (eg. mincoms, radio aids, task lighting)
• development of independence skills (eg. feeding aids, dressing aids, talking clocks)
• moving the child or young person safely (eg. hoists, slings, sliding aids)
• personal care tasks (eg. bath equipment, toilet supports)
• keeping the child or young person healthy (eg. pressure air mattresses, artificial feeding aids)
• promotion of continence or dealing with incontinence (eg. enuresis alarms, pads)
• Please note that these examples are not a full list of equipment that may be provided.

Equipment is provided on the basis of need and if your child has not already been referred by a professional, please contact our Access and Assessment Team (contact details above) who will assess their needs and refer on if appropriate.