A partnership between North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC) and the charity Knowledge for Change is helping repurpose nearly new orthotic devices that would otherwise go to landfill, redirecting them to support patients in Uganda and other African settings.
According to NCIC, the initiative began when Archie Veale, an orthotist at NCIC, recognised that many almost-unused orthotic devices could not be reused within the NHS because of clinical governance rules. Instead of allowing braces, splints and supports to be discarded, he worked with Knowledge for Change to explore how appropriate items could support patients in lower-resource rehabilitation settings.
The partnership connected Archie with Ugandan orthopaedic technologists Timothy Isingoma and Jackson Murungi, creating not only a donation route for selected orthotic devices, but a wider clinical learning relationship between UK and Ugandan rehabilitation professionals.
Orthotic devices can be expensive, and many patients across Africa face barriers to accessing braces, splints and supports that could improve mobility, positioning, function or pain management. At the same time, health systems in higher-income countries may discard devices that are nearly new but cannot be reissued locally.
This project shows how carefully managed redistribution can address two issues at once: reducing healthcare waste and improving access to assistive products where resources are limited.
For CPOs and orthopaedic technologists across IMEA, the story is important because it highlights the practical value of matching surplus devices with real clinical need, rather than treating orthotic waste as unavoidable.
One of the strongest parts of the NCIC initiative is that it has evolved beyond device transfer. Archie Veale first arranged for disused orthotics to be sent to Uganda and Tanzania four years ago. In late 2025, he travelled to Uganda for six weeks to work alongside local colleagues and understand which orthotic items were most useful in practice.
That on-the-ground learning matters. Not every device suitable for a UK clinic will be suitable for a Ugandan health centre. Climate, patient needs, diagnosis mix, availability of tools, follow-up capacity, repair options and local clinical practice all influence whether a donated orthosis is useful.
By working directly with local practitioners, the partnership can become more targeted, more respectful and more clinically relevant.
The exchange has also worked in the other direction. Timothy Isingoma, a Ugandan orthopaedic technologist and amputee, spent three months in the UK through a Commonwealth Fellowship at the University of Salford. During that time, he shadowed Archie at NCIC and learned more about diabetes prevention, orthotic management and wider clinical practice.
Tim’s comments are especially relevant for the rehabilitation sector. He noted that learning from UK practice in areas such as diabetes and podiatry could help teams in Uganda teach people how to care for themselves and prevent diabetic foot complications.
This is a key issue across IMEA. Orthotics is not only about bracing after disability occurs. It also has a role in prevention, pressure management, foot protection, gait support and early intervention.
The partnership has also expanded beyond orthotics. Archie, Tim and Jackson have been involved in introducing newborn health checks at their health centre in Uganda. NCIC reports that the success of these checks attracted attention from Uganda’s Ministry of Health, which has committed to rolling them out nationally.
This shows how professional relationships built through one rehabilitation project can grow into broader health-system collaboration. A small sustainability initiative can become a platform for training, service development and national health improvement.
For IMEA CPO, this story offers a useful model for international O&P collaboration. It shows that device donation can be valuable, but only when it is guided by local clinical knowledge, appropriate selection, training and follow-up.
The lesson is not simply “send unused orthotics abroad.” The better lesson is: build partnerships that allow surplus resources, clinical education and local expertise to meet in a structured way.
Across India, the Middle East and Africa, many rehabilitation services work with limited materials and high patient demand. At the same time, health systems elsewhere produce surplus devices, components and clinical knowledge that can be shared more responsibly. The opportunity is to create ethical, needs-led systems that avoid waste while respecting local practice.
The NCIC and Knowledge for Change partnership is a reminder that sustainability in healthcare should not only be measured by what is kept out of landfill. It should also be measured by the mobility, independence and clinical capacity it helps create.