Disabled Children let down by NHS

Disabled children across the UK are being left in pain and the need for operations due to ill-fitting wheelchairs and the excessive waits experienced within the NHS. Many children have to wait for over a year for a new wheelchair whilst undergoing an average of 32 assessments. Those in East Lancashire have to wait an average of two years – the longest in the UK – for specialist electric wheelchairs.

At present there are 70,000 disabled children in the UK waiting for wheelchairs and the NHS currently only provides the most basic models due to lack of resources. Many parents are being forced to look away from the NHS in order to meet the needs of their children. Many rely on charities, who’s funds are being stretched to the fullest, whilst others take out huge loans to buy the correct equipment themselves.

A report by Whizz-Kidz and Barnados recommends that the Government should:-

* End the "postcode lottery" of wheelchair provision for children
* Make sure that the forthcoming spending review specifically addresses the issue of wheelchairs for children
* Establish and enforce a set of standards for wheelchair provision
* Work with partners to commission services more strategically
* Act on the recommendations contained in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit Report -Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People - to provide disabled children and their families with appropriate equipment without undue delay

The Department of Health says its 2004 10-year plan for child health services advocated designing and delivering services around the needs of children.

"The plan includes a chapter devoted to children with disabilities and stresses the Primary Care Trusts need to consider a child's needs and their future development when deciding what equipment they provide," a spokesperson said.

"We expect health, social and educational services to meet the core standards in the plan and offer the best possible solutions for all children by 2014."

As a wheelchair user I know from experience that an ill-fitting wheelchair impacts greatly on your day-to-day life. Living in constant pain and losing your independence is intolerable. However, the right wheelchair can transform your life; providing you with greater mobility, more independence and greater self-confidence.

Provision of a wheelchair should not be detrimental to the health and well-being of anyone especially children. Early intervention is paramount to how a child goes on to live their life. This outrageous situation needs to be addressed now and the bureaucracy and red-tape should be lifted to ensure that our children have the proper care they rightly deserve.