Wheelchair Services

NHS Wheelchair Services assess people with mobility needs, to decide what sort of wheelchair or other mobility equipment they should be provided with. Usually, it is your GP, hospital doctor, or occupational therapist who makes the referral to wheelchair services.
The child’s mobility will be assessed and a suitable option of a specific pushchair, wheelchair, or other mobility aid will be offered and maintained by the Local Authority. Each time your child’s needs change, they will be re-assessed and given the appropriate equipment.
If what is being offered to you is not suitable or not what you would like, a Personal Budget is now offered as a voucher which you can use towards paying for more fully-featured equipment that you might prefer – as long as it also meets or exceeds your clinical requirements.
Within the voucher scheme, there are two options; Partnership and Independent.

• The Partnership option provides a voucher for the cost of a basic wheelchair but allows you to choose a chair from a slightly wider range, approved by the NHS. You pay the difference in the cost to an agreed supplier, but the chair remains the property of NHS wheelchair services. This means that they are responsible for maintenance and repairs.

• The Independent option gives you a voucher for the cost of the chair the NHS would supply you with, together with some extra money to cover the maintenance and repairs they calculate will be needed in its lifetime – generally five years.

Purchase or rental supported
If you choose the independent route, the chair that you buy (from an agreed supplier) can be of any design, brand, or value, as long as it meets your needs. It is your property, and you are responsible for the costs of insurance, maintenance, and repair, whether this amounts to more or less than was calculated in the voucher.
You can also now use the voucher to rent a wheelchair on a long-term basis. In this case, the monthly rental payment also includes insurance and provision for maintenance and repairs, making it a particularly good choice for anyone who likes to know exactly where they are financially, without the risk of an unexpected repair bill suddenly arising.
Any specialist postural seating or pressure relief elements are provided by the wheelchair service, and do not form part of a voucher.

Wheelchair Accessories

• Cozy toes / footmuff
  A company called Bundlebean supplies amazing cozytoes which fit over most pushchairs and wheelchairs, including many matching accessories.

• Raincover / Hood
  You can purchase a raincover and hood from most wheelchair suppliers but they are very expensive – often hundreds of pounds, however, Bundlebean also sells wheelchair ponchos, again which are affordable and excellent quality.

• Buggyboards
  Again, you can purchase buggyboards from most wheelchair providers but they are super expensive. However, a few have universal fittings and are suitable for most wheelchairs.

• BuggyPod
  The Buggypod is a light robust extra side seat for a buggy or wheelchair that attaches easily to the side of your pushchair/wheelchair and can easily be converted into a single pushchair as and when you need it. Designed, engineered, and tested in the UK, the Buggypod is the award-winning convertible chair which adapts to your family’s needs.