Wheelchair deliveries quicker in Wales

New measures to speed up delivery of wheelchairs to patients who need them will be announced today by Welsh Health Minister Edwina Hart.

Faster access to equipment including hearing aids and artificial limbs will also be prioritised, Mrs Hart will tell the Health, Well-Being and Local Government Committee.

Around 70,000 people in Wales are wheelchair users – about one in every 43 people. Although the vast majority of wheelchairs are delivered to patients within 21 days of referral, in more complex cases waiting times are sometimes longer.

The measures will include:

* establishing a single organisation with responsibility for managing and delivering equipment to create a specialist, dedicated service – currently five centres issue equipment across Wales;

* developing new all-Wales indicators to show performance across the country in ensuring fast access to equipment, to focus local NHS organisations' attention on reducing waits;

* a review of current waiting list processes so that waits for wheelchairs are brought within overall waiting time targets – currently there is no target setting a maximum wait for wheelchairs; and,

* a review of the commissioning and provision of wheelchairs for short-term loan purposes.

A project board will be established to take forward the measures and will report by June 2010.

Mrs Hart will tell the committee: “Across the four UK countries, Wales provides patients with the largest range of these types of equipment. This is a deliberate strategy to enable clinical needs to be met to best effect and avoiding unnecessary compromises in provision. Whilst this is a positive factor in offering choice to patients, it can have a negative impact on waiting times. The broader the range of equipment, the more complex the prescribing and commissioning process and, therefore, the longer the lead-in times for delivery and commissioning. The work that I'm prioritising today will ensure speedier access to equipment for those patients that currently are experiencing delays.”