Advances in wheelchair services need to be better communicated, Welsh Assembly inquiry finds

The Welsh Assembly’s Health and Social Care Committee has published a report on services for wheelchair users, which proposes a joint-working strategy to be implemented across Wales as soon as possible.

Following up on the conclusions of a previous committee held in March, the inquiry welcomed contributions from those who organise and manage wheelchair services, together with professional bodies and organisations representing service users.

Although judging the last few years to have been highly productive in improving the lives of people with a disability, the inquiry found that a lack of communication with service users means that improvements are not always used to their full advantage.

Chair Mark Drakeford, and Welsh Labour councillor for Cardiff West, now hopes that joint-working strategies and lessons learned from pilot projects on short wheelchair loans can be expanded across the whole of Wales, calling upon the Welsh Government to ensure resources are shared fairly, commenting:

“Rather than undertaking a wide ranging review of provision in this area, our work focused on the recommendations made in the previous Report, aiming to identify places where progress had been made, as well as areas where further development appeared to be needed.

“Our key conclusion was that a great deal has been achieved over the period since our predecessor Committee reported – even though this good work has not always been as clearly communicated to the outside world as it deserved. Of course, there are still matters which need to be addressed, and improvements which need to be made.”

The inquiry has also recommended a ‘National Service Specification’ to be put together this autumn to make the most of the ground already made on wheelchair services, while proposing joint-funding arrangements to be made the most of where possible.