§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the provision of wheelchairs to those who become long-term or permanently disabled; [43159]
(2) if he will list for each health authority the average waiting time for provision of a wheelchair to those who become long-term or permanently disabled. [43158]
§ Mr. BoatengWheelchairs are provided free on loan by the National Health Service to anyone who has a clinical need for one due to limited mobility. People who require a wheelchair are usually referred by their general practitioner or other local health care professional to their local wheelchair service centre for assessment of their needs.
Information on the provision of wheelchairs specifically to those who become long-term or permanently disabled and any waiting time is not collected centrally. However, information on the total provision of wheelchairs is reported to the NHS Executive by providers and health authorities. The number of wheelchairs issued by providers covers all wheelchairs supplied through consultant clinics and through physiotherapy departments. The figures for England are in the table.
Year Number of wheelchairs issued by providers 1994–95 203,160 1995–96 200,073 1996–97 195,606 Note:
1996–97 figures include estimates for Richmond, Twickenham and Roehampton NHS Trust who failed to submit a return
Copies of the information that health authorities report on wheelchairs have been placed in the Library.
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the office responsible for the performance of wheelchair services in(a) each health authority, (b) each NHS region, (c) the NHS Executive and (d) central Government. [43208]
§ Mr. Boateng[holding answer 1 June 1998]: The information requested for health authorities is not held centrally. All communications with the National Health Service are conducted through the chief executives concerned. Responsibility for wheelchair policy in the NHS Executive rests with the Continuing Health Services branch of the Health Services Directorate. Performance is measured through the regional offices of the NHS Executive.
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§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if the budget for the voucher scheme for manual wheelchairs is ring-fenced. [43569]
§ Mr. Boateng[holding answer 1 June 1998]: Additional funding has been made available to health authorities specifically to meet the cost of the introduction of the National Health Service wheelchair voucher scheme since it began in 1996. The additional funding has been allocated in phased amounts each year as services have built up over time.
§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been taken to monitor spending on(a) indoor/outdoor powered wheelchair funding schemes and (b) the voucher funding schemes for manual wheelchairs. [43568]
§ Mr. Boateng[holding answer 1 June 1998]: Spending on the indoor/outdoor powered wheelchair funding schemes and the voucher funding scheme for manual wheelchairs is monitored centrally through the routine quarterly return process.
§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to extend the voucher scheme for manual wheelchairs to the provision of indoor outdoor powered wheelchairs. [43567]
§ Mr. Boateng[holding answer 1 June 1998]: When the voucher scheme was introduced, guidance made it clear that it was not intended that vouchers should be issued for powered indoor/outdoor wheelchairs in the short term. Any decision to extend the scheme will be reviewed locally once the scheme for manually operated chairs has been fully established.
§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions Ministers and officials have had with user organisations on their concerns about performance management of the wheelchair service; [43216]
(2) what action he has taken to address the concerns of user organisations about the management performance of the separate funding schemes for indoor and outdoor powered wheelchairs and vouchers. [43215]
§ Mr. Boateng[holding answer 1 June 1998]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State held a meeting with representatives of the Limbless Association on 2 December 1997 at which they expressed their concerns about the wheelchair service. I will shortly be holding a meeting with representatives of the users consortium emPOWER at which they are expected to raise similar concerns. Officials regularly exchange information and views with representatives of user organisations.
Progress on implementation of the wheelchair initiatives is performance managed through National Health Service Executive regional offices. Regional directors of performance management have been reminded of the importance of ensuring implementation of these changes for service users.
An evaluation study of the operation of the powered indoor/outdoor wheelchair and voucher schemes will be conducted later in the year. We have set up a steering group, whose membership includes representatives of user organisations, to oversee the evaluation.
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§ Mr. HealeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations were held with user groups in advance of communication of the Health Service Circular, Wheelchair Voucher Scheme: funding in 1997–98 and 1998–99 (HSC 1998/004). [43867]
§ Mr. BoatengThe circular authorised health authorities to use surplus funds from the National Health Service wheelchair voucher scheme for powered indoor/outdoor and other wheelchair provision. It was a short-term initiative which ensured that available funds were kept within wheelchair services in 1997–98. It did not affect the funding available for the NHS wheelchair voucher scheme and powered indoor/outdoor wheelchair provision in subsequent years and did not involve any change in policy towards the two schemes.
No consultations with user groups were therefore held in advance of the issue of the circular.
§ Mr. BerryTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department is taking to implement the recommendations of the Department of Health-funded paper, "National Prosthetic and Wheelchair Services Report 1993–96", with particular reference to those for(a) a mechanism to provide a national focus on wheelchair services and (b) an auditing procedure by which wheelchair services can measure their effectiveness. [43370]
§ Mr. BoatengThe Department funded the national prosthetic and wheelchair services project to give continued support to wheelchair services for a three-year period following their devolution to the National Health Service. A number of professional groups (including a Wheelchair Managers Committee) continue to provide a national focus, and the Department supports this work. For example, the Department is funding work on a national training framework for wheelchair services.
The audit of service effectiveness is a matter for individual health authorities and their providers. Standards were recommended in the national prosthetic and wheelchair services project. These may form the basis for local audit.
§ Mr. BerryTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department is taking to(a) monitor and (b) address disparities between health authorities in the provision of (i) indoor/outdoor powered wheelchairs and (ii) vouchers by wheelchair services. [43441]
§ Mr. BoatengHealth authorities routinely report to the National Health Service Executive on the provision of indoor/outdoor wheelchairs and vouchers for wheelchair services as part of the quarterly monitoring process. Regional directors of performance have recently been reminded of the importance of ensuring that the wheelchair voucher scheme is implemented. An evaluation study of the operation of the powered indoor/outdoor wheelchair and voucher schemes will be conducted later in the year.