NHS Wheelchair service - my experience

LouRoots8

I see a few people have asked about the experiences with the wheelchair service. 

This was my experience

All wheelchair services have their own criteria you can look this up before any appointment. It’s also worth doing this with any OT assessment for adaptions. As often they will say no against their own criteria. They are to firstly assess what your needs are. Not how much your needs will cost. 

I was referred to the wheelchair service early 2021. It took until Anugust to be seen by the service. They had discharged me as I had been readmitted to hospital and all the usual nonsense delays. 

The assessment was around my home. 

It was a strange assessment. I had to explain my health needs and conditions. 
I can walk around 6 steps although that’s a good day. Although I said this was more transferring then actual walking. I had to explain why I couldn’t push a manual wheelchair. The state of me you’d think it was obvious. I had to stress that I couldn’t really walk even inside. I’ve literally been stuck in my bedroom. 

I was told there would be a MDT in the next month. I was then told they needed some paperwork from my clinic teams. This was a tick box from my neurologist saying I wasn’t a drug addict or a danger driving a powerchair. The other was my Optician stating I could see well enough. It took months to get the forms to the doctors. 

I then heard nothing. For 6 months. 

Then out of the blue I got another appointment last week. I thought this would be more fighting for my needs. I had my carer and nurse here ready to fight the service. 

It was a supplier coming to fit me for a powerchair with power tilt. I was so shocked. It’s a really good chair. Midwheel drive outdoor/indoor powerchair.  Invcare
Apparently it will arrive in 8 weeks. I would have wanted a wheelchair budget but really the chair is a really high spec and far better then I expected. It also can be adapted for my progessing needs. It has specialised setting and tilt. I can sit in it all day. 

Although it took a long time and I’m still not in possession of the chair it seems to turn out ok in the end.