Short-term wheelchair loans
Everyone who needs a wheelchair should be able to get one.
What’s wrong?
If you are recovering from an injury or operation, then the NHS or your local authority will provide you with a mobility aid, such as crutches or a walking frame.
If complete recovery is not possible, or if you have an illness or disability that permanently affects your mobility, then the NHS will provide you with a wheelchair for long-term use.
But…
If you need a wheelchair for less than six months – for any reason other than terminal illness – then good luck. In the vast majority of areas, neither the NHS nor your local authority will provide you with one.
Our vision
We want everyone who needs a wheelchair to be able to quickly and easily get one that’s right for them, for as long as they need it.
We want everyone who uses or handles a wheelchair to know how to use it safely and comfortably.
We believe there should be a right to short-term wheelchair loans.
Our evidence
Our research report Putting the Wheels in Motion illustrates various reasons why people need a short-term wheelchair loan and shows the positive impact they have on people’s lives.
We 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.
Our calls
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There is no estimate of the need for short-term wheelchair loans at any one time. We urge the government – working with NHS England and others – to investigate this.
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We call on the Government to incorporate the meeting of short-term mobility needs into the NHS Mandate to NHS England.
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We call on NHS England, NHS Improving Quality and the National Wheelchair Alliance to incorporate short-term wheelchair provision into the My Voice, My Wheelchair, My Life programme of work and the Right Chair, Right Time, Right Now campaign to transform wheelchair services in England.
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See our blog, ‘Who pays for your wheelchair?’, to find out more about what’s wrong
