The newly-launched NHS wheelchair services in Park Royal, Brent have been praised by the Paralympic gold medallist and disability rights campaigner, The Baroness Grey-Thompson DBE, and by NHS England, following a redesign, which was carried out with full input from wheelchair users, carers and personal care assistants.
There are two new services - one covering Brent, Barnet, Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and Ealing, and another covering Hounslow. Both of these services incorporate the core principles of Lady Grey-Thompson’s campaign organisation, the Wheelchair Alliance, which have been set out publically in a document called the Wheelchair Charter. The new services were launched at a special event in Park Royal last month.
The services are designed to meet the needs of people of all ages who have a long-term need for mobility assistance in North West London. They will provide an integrated care model for wheelchair users. The priority for this redesign is to ensure those with complex and long term conditions are able to access the right wheelchair quickly and with appropriate information and support.
Patients will be able to access their local service in one of five locations in North West London, including Park Royal and Wembley. However, not all wheelchair users will need to attend one of these venues to access the service. In some cases it will be more suitable to have an assessment at home. Not only that, but repairs and other maintenance work can be carried out in the wheelchair user’s own home – and there is a rapid response repair service, with out-of-hours support. This is in line with one of the service’s key principles: to promote independence.
The Baroness Grey-Thompson, world record-holder and Paralympic gold medallist, announced the official launch of the two new services and gave a moving speech about her childhood with a disability. She praised the NHS in North West London for "taking wheelchair services so seriously."
A local wheelchair user Alex Cowan then took to the stage with a passionate speech about why repairs in particular are so important for people to live independently. Speaking from the podium, she said: "This service has a weekend service. It has an out of hours service and it has a rapid repair service. This service understands that if your wheelchair breaks down on a Friday afternoon, you can't wait until Monday for a repair."
"It is great that the voices of wheelchair users have not just been listened to, but also acted upon. Our views have been incorporated right from the beginning into the procurement, mobilisation and specification of this new service."
Wheelchairs provide a significant gateway to independence, well-being and quality of life for thousands of children and adults.
They play a substantial role in facilitating social inclusion and improving life chances through work, education and social activities that many people who do not need wheelchairs take for granted. Yet the wheelchair services provided by the NHS often fall short of meeting the needs of wheelchair users. Too often wheelchair users find that their daily life activities are not enhanced, but instead limited by the sub-optimal chairs that are supplied. However, with the launch of new ‘co-produce’ services in North West London, it will certainly transform a person’s life – building confidence and enabling independence, both at home and away from home.
