Children and MPs urge wheelchair services reform
Janaki Mahadevan
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Government must urgently order a high-scale reform of paediatric wheelchair services to ensure children and young people have access to the right equipment when they need it, according to a cross-party group of MPs and peers.
A report by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Paediatric Mobility Reform and mobility charity Whizz Kidz has recommended that national minimum standards need to be created, which prescribe the level of care provided to children in need of mobility aid as well as specifying the outcomes such services should achieve.
Currently, there are an estimated 70,000 children waiting to receive suitable mobility equipment. My Wheelchair is My Shoes said that without initial investment to radically improve the stock of paediatric wheelchair equipment to suit the needs of children, costs will escalate down the line.
In response to the report, a group of Paralympians led by six-time Paralympic medal winner Fran Williamson, wrote to Prime Minister David Cameron urging him to address the problem.
"A modestly estimated 70,000 children are waiting to receive the mobility equipment that is right for them," the letter states. "This wait often takes months, even years. In the meantime, children are missing out on their childhoods – unable to fully participate in family and school life, and keep up with their friends. Many also end up with additional medical problems because of unsuitable equipment, resulting in more dependence on the NHS for surgery and physiotherapy."
The report also criticised local authorities in England that impose arbitrary eligibility criteria, saying no children in need of mobility aid should be refused help.
George Fielding, a 16-year-old wheelchair user, got his first wheelchair from the NHS aged eight, but it was too heavy for him and he wasn’t able to self-propel. In 2010 he got a lightweight manual chair from Whizz Kidz, which meant that he could get around by himself. He was one of the children who handed the letter and report into Downing Street.
"The most important aspect of this is that I am independent, as long as a young disabled person has the independence they deserve they are likely to have a productive and pleasant future," George said. "There are no boundaries once you have your independence."
