Disabled face long wait for wheelchair

NEW figures released today show that disabled people in Warrington have to wait almost 10 times as long for an essential wheelchair as people in Bolton.
The shock report was being presented to Parliament today by the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign.
Average waiting time for a wheelchair in Warrington is an unacceptable 24 weeks, the group says.
Bolton has an average waiting time of between two-and-a-half and 12 weeks.
This means that for up to five extra months Warrington patients are forced to endure poorly-fitting wheelchairs that can make their condition deteriorate further, or may have no way of getting around at all.
Muscle diseases are progressive and often cause other health problems such as scoliosis, which can become much worse if the right amount of support isn’t provided by a wheelchair.
So a long wait between being assessed for a wheelchair and actually getting the equipment can mean months of pain and discomfort for many.
Martyn Blenkharn, 48, has FSH muscular dystrophy which causes his muscles to waste. He is the chairman of the North West Muscle Group, a patient support organisation.
He said: “I waited for about two years to get my wheelchair and I’ve had it three years now but it’s dropping to bits – the arms are held on with insulation tape. My condition means the muscles in my shoulders waste and they’re totally knackered now because I was on the crutches for too long before I got the wheelchair.
“Why should we have to wait all this time and pay for things ourselves? It’s not a luxury – I need that wheelchair to live my life. If we don’t complain we don’t get things, so I’m prepared to fight hard for people in the North West to get a better service.”
The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign has been investigating wheelchair services across the country and found a huge variation in the services offered by different Primary Care Trusts, sometimes just a few miles away from each other.
The report highlights UK-wide problems with wheelchair services, including:
*Long waits for essential wheelchairs of up to 18 months in some areas (the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign recommended average wait is 18 weeks).
*The estimated appropriate wheelchair cost is up to £17,500 but the average amount funded is just £2,000.
*Refusals to maintain and repair wheelchairs.
MP for Blaydon Dave Anderson who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Muscular Dystrophy has tabled a motion in Parliament about improving wheelchair services.
The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign’s head of policy and campaigns Nic Bungay said:
“We were shocked to learn of the massive gaps in wheelchair services faced by people across the country. It’s particularly frustrating for a lot of patients that if they lived somewhere else, sometimes even just in the next town, their access to wheelchairs could be much better.
“We hope the findings from this report will be the first step towards building a much better wheelchair service for all muscle disease patients, no matter where they live.”
Now the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign are calling on Primary Care Trusts to address the gaps in wheelchair services by cutting waiting times and reviewing the grants given to those in need of wheelchairs.
To find out more go to www.muscular-dystrophy.org