Access to the right wheelchair at the right time isn’t just the right thing to do but it also has huge benefit to the wheelchair user and society.
The Wheelchair Alliance report – The Value of a Wheelchair - highlights that the right wheelchair will increase independence, autonomy and integration in to the community for an individual. This results in a better quality of life, benefits to mental health and physical health, not to mention the improvement to employment and education opportunities and the wider economy. This is all achievable by sharing best practice and reducing the variation seen across England by focusing on quality and service improvement and investment into wheelchair services.
We recognise that there is a need to ensure that current budgets are used in the most effective way possible. Through the sharing of best practice between local wheelchair services and commissioners, we can realise the advantages of joined up working and pooled budgets by statutory bodies for the benefit of wheelchair users, their families and carers.
The Quality Framework, produced with the Wheelchair Alliance, is an invaluable tool for Commissioners and Providers. It clearly details best practices and how to provide wheelchair users with the help they need.
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Commissioners and Providers may also be interested in reading the WHO Guidelines on Wheelchair Provision.
Wheelchair provision guidelines
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There are a variety of models and standards which can be applied and need to be complied with by Wheelchair Commissioners and Service Providers. In our Models page, we detail several useful models to review. We also link directly to those models, so you can view them in their entirety.
We have listed resources below that can be used to learn more around wheelchair and mobility aid provision, and how to best help wheelchair users as a clinician, provider or commissioner.
This practical guide gives health and social care professionals straightforward and comprehensive advice on wheelchair assessment and provision.
Key Skills for Wheelchair Provision
This helpful document breaks down the services available to people in England who need to access equipment. The document goes into Community Equipment Services as well as Wheelchair Services, and discusses the differences between them.
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Various companies provide wheelchair and technical equipment training. Utilising these can ensure you have excellent foundational knowledge of the equipment being provided. Our list showcases what is available.