Baroness Greengross OBE –NHS failing to meet demand for short-term wheelchair loans

If you need a wheelchair for less than six months, then good luck, according to a new reportlaunched today by the British Red Cross. In most parts of England, neither the NHS nor your local authority will provide you with one.

Out of 151 NHS wheelchair services across England, 127 do not provide wheelchairs for short-term use. This means that in much of the country, there is no guarantee that someone facing weeks of immobility – for example, following a badly broken leg or serious operation – would be able to get a wheelchair.

According to the Red Cross, the largest national provider loaning 83,000 short-term wheelchairs in 2014, part of the problem is that there is no clearly defined duty for statutory provision of short-term wheelchairs in England.

This is despite the fact that the report, titled Putting the Wheels in Motion, found that wheelchair loans can save the public purse money by preventing or delaying people’s need for support from the NHS or social services. Wheelchairs can, for example, help people to manage at home after a hospital stay, thus reducing delayed discharges.

The report found that making wheelchairs accessible to all – not just those with long-term needs – could have a wide range of additional benefits, including but not limited to making it easier to attend medical appointments, school or work, maintain dignity at the end of life and participate in family and social activities.

Access to a wheelchair can make a real difference. As one of the people interviewed in the research says, ‘Not having the wheelchair would have been the straw that broke the camel’s back…it would have been unbearable’.

Everyone who needs a wheelchair should be able to quickly and easily get one that’s right for them, for as long as they need it. That is why I am fully supporting the Red Cross’ recommendations for the government and NHS England to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the full need for short-term wheelchairs across England and incorporate these needs into the NHS Mandate, the document enshrining the health service’s core goals.

With the UK population both growing and ageing the demand for short-term wheelchair loans is increasing year-on-year. It should be of concern to all of us that there may be unmet need; action is required now to keep the wheels in the motion.

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Baroness Greengross will be hosting the launch of the report in the House of Lords on 6th July. For more information contact advocacy@redcross.org.uk

Read the British Red Cross report here [PDF]. To borrow a wheelchair, see  here.