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Charities urge the Government to increase funding for children's wheelchair services
09 Oct 2007
Following today’s announcement on the Comprehensive Spending Review, Whizz-Kidz and Barnardo’s are urging the Department of Health to allocate additional funding within its spending plans in order to speed up access to better wheelchairs and mobility equipment for disabled children.
The spending package for the Department of Health provides a welcome opportunity to improve the provision of wheelchairs for disabled children. But further assurance is required to deliver the commitments that were outlined in the Treasury/DFES report ‘Aiming High for Disabled Children’ (May 2007) to ensure that we address the full development needs of disabled children in their early years, and of young wheelchair users who want to participate at school, take part in sports, and socialise with their friends just like other teenagers.
Increased funding combined with a child-centred reform of the wheelchair service led by the Department of Health will be critical if the Government is to meet its target to improve services for disabled children (PSA 12).
Ruth Owen, Chief Executive of Whizz-Kidz comments:
‘We urgently need more funding if we are to support the 70,000 disabled children who need a wheelchair to satisfy their basic human rights, and enjoy a more active and independent childhood, just like their peers. Many thousands of families still face year-long delays or more for an appropriate wheelchair, or are simply unable to access essential mobility equipment on the NHS.
We agree that improving the procurement of wheelchairs will save the NHS money and deliver more choice and better quality services, but we need an additional injection of £60 million to address current levels of unmet need among children. Many families are not in a position to purchase essential mobility equipment so increased funding is vital to support families who face significantly increased costs when raising a disabled child.
We will continue to engage with the Department of Health’s current reform of the wheelchair service* in order to ensure that every disabled child can access the mobility equipment they need, as soon as they need it.’
* D2.6, p206, Department of Health, CSR Report
**Transforming Community Equipment and Wheelchair Services Programme
-ENDS-
For more information about Whizz-Kidz campaign and our key policy recommendations please visit current campaign or contact Stephanie Bell on s.bell@whizz-kidz.org.uk or 020 7798 6120
The Comprehensive Spending Review sets the Government’s spending and priorities for the period 2008-2011.
Find out more about the Department of Health’s Transforming Community Equipment and Wheelchair Service Review
Notes to editor:
For more information or to arrange an interview please call
Stephanie Bell (Whizz-Kidz) on 020 7798 6102 or 07919 117275
Alison Worsley (Barnardo’s) on 020 8498 7742
• In 2006 Whizz-Kidz and Barnardo’s produced the ‘Don’t Push Me Around!’ Report in order to highlight their concerns about the current state of wheelchair provision in the UK, and the need for urgent action.
• Barnardo’s and Whizz-Kidz are leading members of the Campaign to End Child Poverty (www.ecpc.org.uk). Families with disabled children are 50% more likely to be in debt and 50% less likely to be able to afford holidays, new clothes, school outings or ‘treats’ for their children. Funding for wheelchairs and other equipment is a vital step in helping families with disabled children to meet the additional costs of living with a disability.
Whizz-Kidz
• Whizz-Kidz is the national charity and leading provider of wheelchairs and customised mobility equipment, wheelchairs skills training, advice and support for disabled children, young people and their families. www.whizz-kidz.org.uk
• Whizz-Kidz is focused on supporting families who are unable to access the mobility equipment they need through the NHS. The majority of families we support are on a joint income of £23,000, and are not in a position to self-fund essential mobility equipment.
Barnardo’s
• Barnardo’s works with approximately 110,000 children, young people and their families in over 383 specialised projects in local communities across the UK. This includes work with children affected by today’s most urgent issues: poverty, homelessness, disability, bereavement and abuse. For more information about Barnardo’s visit our website at www.barnardos.org.uk
• We believe in the potential in every child and young person, no matter who they are, what they have done or what they have been through. We will support them, stand up for them and bring out the best in each and every child. “Do you believe in children? Sign up if you believe in children.”
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