The APPG for Access to Disability Equipment has called for a national Wheelchair and Community Equipment Strategy, backed by organisations such as the Wheelchair Alliance.
The strategy demands a single, national system for planning, funding and delivering wheelchairs and essential community equipment in England. Services are currently split between local authorities and integrated care boards, creating wide regional differences in access, quality and waiting times. A national strategy would set firm standards, clarify who is accountable, address workforce shortages and enforce consistent commissioning through the Wheelchair Quality Framework and model service specifications. Its purpose is clear: end the postcode lottery, invest in equipment for the long term, and ensure disabled people receive the right equipment at the right time, wherever they live.
I agree with the Wheelchair Alliance that all integrated care boards must adopt the quality framework for wheelchair provision and the model service specification when commissioning services. I also support the call by the APPG for Access to Disability Equipment for a dedicated national strategy for community equipment, alongside a dedicated DHSC Minister to oversee delivery. This would ensure that needs are appropriately and fairly met everywhere. I welcome the Government’s wheelchair quality framework, but it does not go nearly far enough. I also welcome increased use of personalised budgets, but providers and users really need to understand these budgets to ensure real choice and best provision, giving users more control over their daily lives.
Watch the question in full here.