Wheelchair Users

Baroness Brinton Excerpts

Thursday 21st April 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

I totally agree with my noble friend that there is an absolute need for greater uniformity and standardisation. The level of variation around the country is wholly unacceptable.

[Baroness Brinton (LD)]

My Lords, the NHS guidance on the website to people seeking a powered wheelchair says:

“Each service will have a strict criteria of eligibility. Usually the NHS services do not provide powered wheelchairs … for outdoor use only”.

Some areas, including mine, say that this means you get one only if you need to use it inside your own house. This does not mean independent living. When will the criteria be changed to ensure that if a powered wheelchair is needed for work purposes it will be provided?

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

As the noble Baroness knows, the criteria are local at the moment. The point of collecting the data and developing a tariff, which takes into account assessment, the equipment and repair and maintenance, is to have local commissioning against the national standard.