I need a wheelchair | How to hire or buy

There are currently around 1.2 million wheelchair users in the UK. Having a disability can prevent you from working and can be expensive if you need care and support.

But you may be able to get a wheelchair for free depending on your disability or medical needs.

However it is estimated around 70% of new wheelchair users wait more than three months to get their wheelchair through the NHS, with 15% waiting over 12 months.

Being without equipment that is crucial to independence not only has a detrimental impact on a person’s lifestyle but also their confidence, self-esteem and mental health. If you are unable to get a free wheelchair, there are other options such as using a personal wheelchair budget to buy a wheelchair. Alternatively you may be able to hire one

Can I get a free wheelchair?

You may be able to get a free wheelchair on the NHS if you are eligible. The wheelchairs are given on a loan basis only. This means that although you can keep the wheelchair on a long-term basis, the chair is still owned by the NHS.

You are responsible for keeping the chair safe and clean. You will also be required to regularly check your chair but the NHS is responsible for any repairs.

Types of wheelchairs provided by the NHS

These include:

• Manual wheelchairs (standard, lightweight and heavy duty)
• Paediatric wheelchairs (standard, lightweight and heavy duty)
• Powered wheelchairs
• Indoor-only powered wheelchairs
• Indoor/outdoor powered wheelchairs
• Specialist seating wheelchairs

Eligibility for an NHS wheelchair

To get a free wheelchair that is funded by the NHS, a referral must be made by a health or social care professional such as a GP, a physiotherapist or social services. This referral will go to your local wheelchair service. They will then determine if you meet the criteria, and if so, what equipment is right for you.

At the assessment a health professional will discuss your mobility needs in order for you to be given a wheelchair that is suitable for you. You should also be measured so the wheelchair is the right fit for you.

Your assessment for a wheelchair is based on your needs not your income.

To be eligible for a free wheelchair on the NHS

• The wheelchair should be needed on a regular basis, for at least three days a week.

• The person will have a mobility problem as a result of a permanent disability or a medical condition, that lasts for more than six months or they require palliative care.

Personal wheelchair budgets

Replacing the wheelchair voucher scheme, personal wheelchair budgets (PWB) came into force as an addition to personal health budgets.

Anybody who meets the criteria of their local wheelchair service is eligible for a personal wheelchair budget under the umbrella of a personal health budget.

A personal health budget is a sum of money allocated to supporting a person’s health needs. This amount is agreed between the person, their representative and the local NHS team. Whereas previously the NHS would make decisions over a person’s care, the idea of personal health budget is to give people greater autonomy over the type of care and support they need, ensuring they play a part in deciding how their budget is spent.

Personal wheelchair budgets (PWB) aim to better address people’s health and wellbeing needs when it comes to accessing wheelchairs, ensuring they have more options and a say in their chosen wheelchair.

PWB options

• Notional personal wheelchair budget – you choose to use your personal wheelchair budget within NHS commissioned services, and the service purchases and provides the chair. This gives the option for you to top up your budget with your own money (sometimes referred to as Notional Plus), allowing you to purchase a wheelchair at a higher cost than your budget covers.
• Third party personal wheelchair budget – you choose to use your personal wheelchair budget outside of NHS commissioned services. The independent provider will send an invoice to the NHS which will cover the cost as per the budget allocated. As above, you can also personally contribute through this option.
• Traditional third-party personal health budget – an organisation, independent of the NHS and yourself, will manage the budget.
• Direct payment – you will personally hold the money in a bank account and will take responsibility for purchasing and arranging the equipment, in line with agreed personal care and support plans.

PWBs are reviewed at fairly regularly intervals by your local wheelchair service, this means that the budget may increase or decrease depending on the results of each review.

You can find more information about personal wheelchair budgets on the NHS website.

Disputing a decision on wheelchair provision

If your local wheelchair service makes a decision you don’t agree with, it’s a good idea to arrange a meeting with the health professionals who made the decision. During the meeting, consider having a family member or partner there with you for support. It can be frustrating to voice a disagreement, and having a loved one there might help.

If a follow-up conversation doesn’t solve the issue, there are further actions you can take to seek advice and reach a better solution for you.

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

The Patient Advice and Liaison Service, also known as PALS, offers help and advice on NHS services. They also help to resolve any problems a person might have with services being offered, including if you don’t agree with a decision made about your provision of a wheelchair or other mobility aid. 

Hiring a wheelchair: How much does it cost?

You may be able to get a wheelchair on a short-term basis from the NHS but you won’t be able to borrow or hire one for the occasional day out.

If you are unable to get a wheelchair for free on the NHS, or you are in the process of waiting, you could look at hiring a wheelchair, both long and short term.

British Red Cross

British Red Cross runs a scheme where they hire out wheelchairs on a short-term basis (usually six months or less). The service starts from £22 per week, depending on the type of wheelchair needed.

Different options available under the Red Cross wheelchair hire scheme include:

• Self-propelled wheelchairs
• Transit wheelchairs
• Bariatric wheelchairs
• Wheelchair accessories

For people who may find it difficult to manage the cost of hiring a wheelchair, British Red Cross also offers support.

Motability

Motability runs the Motability Scheme where a wheelchair can be leased using a qualifying mobility allowance. To be eligible for the scheme, a person needs to receive a mobility allowance and have at least 12 months’ award length left over.

This must include one of the following mobility allowances:

• Enhanced Rate Mobility Component of Personal Independence Payment
• Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance
• Higher Rate Mobility Component of Child Disability Payment (Scotland)
• War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement
• Armed Forces Independence Payment

Buying your own wheelchair

Buying a wheelchair may be an unattainable option for many people, but if you are able to cover the cost of your chair, it might be a good choice.

Wheelchair prices vary depending on what you are looking for. For a standard, self-propelled wheelchair, the average price is between £100-£300. For wheelchairs with more features, including electric wheelchairs, you can be looking at a price of up to £4000, depending on the specifications you are looking for, although the average is around £2500. The price for mobility scooters is higher than this.

Charlotte Hill, 28, needed a wheelchair after being diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), which for her means she has a lot of seizures and impaired walking.

Miss Hill explained: “I developed the symptoms of FND in quite a short space of time and needed a wheelchair quickly because my mobility was declining fast.

“I’m in the process of sorting out my finances and it would have taken too long to wait for an NHS wheelchair. I bought mine on eBay, it’s an ex-display, so a perfectly good wheelchair but it had been sitting in a shop window for a while. That brought the price down, and I didn’t have to pay tax on it because I had proof of disability. It’s given me a lot more freedom than when I was trying to use crutches and getting exhausted.

“My advice is to where possible, if you’re able to self-propel a wheelchair, get one of those because it allows you more independence than an attendant-propelled wheelchair. So have a think about your needs and what you’re going to be using it for. I needed a small one that I could use around the house, so think about the seat size and what your home can accommodate.”

What to look for when buying a wheelchair

If you are fortunate enough to be able to buy your own wheelchair, it’s usually a good idea to visit a local mobility shop so you can test out different options and get the equipment set up for your personal requirements.

Consider how you will mostly be using your chair, i.e., at home, on level ground outside, or on more uneven terrain if you enjoy exploring the outdoors. These factors will make a difference to what type of chair is most suitable for you and will make sure you are not wasting your money. 

You should also consider:

• Your budget (including funding for maintenance and repairs).
• Your individual requirements – for example, if you are overweight you might need to look at bariatric wheelchairs, which are specifically designed to meet the needs of people who are heavier than an ‘average’ wheelchair user and have different seat widths. If you are a full-time wheelchair user, you might also consider daily activities such as showering, and how your wheelchair can aid your daily life and give you as much independence as possible.
• Your current living situation – for example, some internal doorframes aren’t wide enough for a standard wheelchair to pass through. Think about what type of wheelchair would be most suitable for your current accommodation.
• Whether your requirements will change – will your wheelchair be suitable in a year’s time?

Different suppliers might also offer different discounts or schemes to make personally funding your wheelchair a more realistic option, so it will be a good idea to ask about what can be done for you. 

Living Made Easy offers additional guidance to help you choose the right wheelchair for you on its website.