Context
Municipal assistive device services are a critical part of local health and welfare, yet delivery models often rely on office hours, manual coordination, and staff-driven transport. With ageing populations, more complex needs, and tighter municipal budgets, delays in access to aids can directly affect safety, rehabilitation, and independent living.
Since 2023, Kristiansund municipality has developed and operated KS Assistive Devices, a national digital platform now being rolled out across Norway to manage the lifecycle of assistive equipment. In the last eight months, the 24/7 Smart Pickup Network has been built as an integrated extension to solve the ‘last mile’ challenge. Inspired by parcel locker services, it enables secure self-service collection and return of devices at any time, supported by real-time status updates and traceability in the national platform.
This EPSA submission focuses on the Smart Pickup module, not the EUR 2.3 million main project, as a recent extension that solves the last-mile handover of assistive devices through secure 24/7 self-service access.
The project fits Category III by delivering a user-centric service at subnational level that is designed for scale, reduces administrative burden, and improves fairness for citizens, caregivers, and municipal staff.
Objectives
Objectives are to:
- increase timely and predictable access to assistive devices by offering secure 24/7 pickup and return options for citizens, relatives, and professional carers, including users in vulnerable situations who struggle with travel, rigid schedules, low digital confidence, or limited support networks;
- shorten time from assessment to delivery, supporting safe discharge from hospital and reducing risk of falls, complications, and social isolation;
- reduce municipal logistics workload by cutting avoidable deliveries, missed appointments, and phone-based coordination, freeing staff time for assessment, fitting, maintenance, and follow-up;
- improve quality, transparency, and accountability through standardised workflows, digital documentation, and full traceability of devices from allocation to return;
- strengthen sustainability by enabling faster reuse, better inventory utilisation, and fewer transport kilometres;
- provide a replicable national model within KS Assistive Devices that can be adopted and continuously improved across municipalities.
Implementation
Kristiansund municipality led the design and delivery through close collaboration between the assistive device service, municipal health units, and the in-house development team responsible for KS Assistive Devices. Since 2023, the platform has provided national lifecycle management, and during the last eight months the Smart Pickup module was designed, built, and deployed.
The team developed custom locker hardware and integrated it with the platform via secure authentication, automated pickup keys, and event logging that updates device status in real time. The solution was developed iteratively with input from citizens, caregivers, and frontline staff, using pilots to refine accessibility, instructions, and operational routines.
Governance and information security were handled within municipal structures, with clear roles for product ownership, operations, and support. Implementation included staff training, communication to users and partners, and monitoring dashboards to track usage patterns and service performance, creating a basis for continuous improvement and wider roll out.