NHS 'failing' disabled children

By Geoff Adams-Spink
Age and disability correspondent, BBC News website

Jess Searle is now able to get around by herself

The NHS is failing to provide adequate wheelchairs for disabled children, a report by two charities says.

Barnardo's and Whizz-Kidz say a chronic lack of funds and inconsistent provision across the country mean children's needs are going unmet.

The report - Don't Push Me Around! - says some children are waiting for months for initial referrals.

The government says that services should be designed and delivered around the needs of the child.

'Lack of resources'

A group of disabled children, together with representatives from Whizz-Kidz and Barnardo's, will be handing the report in at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday.

The charities say that the NHS only supplies the most basic wheelchairs to children because it lacks the resources to provide anything better.

A child would not be expected to wait six months for a new pair of shoes if they had outgrown them; yet children are regularly being told by the NHS that they must wait for wheelchair provision Ruth Owen Whizz-Kidz

They point to a recent survey in which 60% of disabled children said they were forced to use unsuitable wheelchairs.

Early intervention and providing proper equipment can - according to Whizz-Kidz and Barnardo's - improve a child's well being and life chances.

"Anyone who cares about children should agree this is an outrage," said Whizz-Kidz chief executive Ruth Owen.

"A child would not be expected to wait six months for a new pair of shoes if they had outgrown them; yet children are regularly being told by the NHS that they must wait for wheelchair provision."

Barnardo's chief executive Martin Narey says the parents of the 70,000 children who need mobility equipment are often forced to look elsewhere.

"Many families are forced into debt or have to rely on support from charity to get suitable wheelchairs, making life even tougher for them," he added.

Self sufficient

When Jess Searle started school she was supplied with a heavy manual wheelchair and was unable to move around independently.

Jess has cerebral palsy which means that she has reduced mobility in her lower body.

Because she relied on others to push her everywhere, she often felt left out during playtimes and soon became isolated.

Her mother Julie said not being able to get around by herself badly affected her confidence and meant that she had to rely on adults to make her choices for her.

"It delayed her general development because she wasn't using her own initiative at all," she said.

Life 'transformed'

The family applied to Whizz-Kidz which supplied a much lighter model in which she was able to propel herself.

"Having the right wheelchair not only transformed Jess's life but it has made a tremendous difference to our family because it brought back some fun and made us realise what we'd been missing," Mrs Searle said.

She says that, because Jess has good upper body strength, being able to propel herself has also improved her stamina.

The charities' report calls on the government to:

• End the "postcode lottery" of wheelchair provision for children

• Make sure that the forthcoming spending review specifically addresses the issue of wheelchairs for children

• Establish and enforce a set of standards for wheelchair provision

• Work with partners to commission services more strategically

• Act on the recommendations contained in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit Report - Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People - to provide disabled children and their families with appropriate equipment without undue delay

The Department of Health says its 10-year plan for child health services - launched in 2004 - advocated designing and delivering services around the needs of children.

"The plan includes a chapter devoted to children with disabilities and stresses the Primary Care Trusts need to consider a child's needs and their future development when deciding what equipment they provide," a spokesperson said.

"We expect health, social and educational services to meet the core standards in the plan and offer the best possible solutions for all children by 2014."