Impact of our wheelchair loan Economic resource savings Melvyn’s leg had to be in plaster If the operation to insert pins had £3,088 for at least six weeks. The hospital proceeded, Melvyn would have provided a special bed, chair and been in hospital for several days, Melvyn’s daughter avoided crutches so he could navigate his possibly spending over a week having to enter the temporary home, which has two flights of stairs. there, including the immediate care of children’s social Yet they did not provide a self- recovery period and time to prepare services for up to two weeks = propelled wheelchair. He was not for going home. According to a allowed to put any weight on the leg chart he viewed in the hospital, £1,400 resource savings and had to ensure the bone did not the recovery process following the for social services move, since this would cause a need operation would have taken a year (£700 per week unit cost of local authority for immediate surgery. – and without a wheelchair loan, his foster care and social service support for daughter would be housebound with children with emotional needs; PSSRU, At the time of the accident, Melvyn him when not at school. 2014) asked the hospital for a wheelchair, “so my daughter is not stuck at In an interview, an occupational Being able to avoid five days in home – if I’m stuck here, then she’s therapist agreed that, in a similar hospital for a surgical operation stuck here. But the hospital said scenario, the medical, social and (non-elective, without critical they don’t do wheelchairs. I was personal impacts could have been care) = surprised, I don’t quite understand very negative. “In the case where a why they can do all of the rest single parent suffers a bone fracture £1,688 resource savings but not the wheelchair...it’s half- but has a vulnerable dependent at for NHS term coming up, so without the home, not having a wheelchair loan NHS National Tariff prices for wheelchair, she would’ve had to stay could result in a rapid downward “Intermediate” foot procedure and five indoors, and cooped up for 10 days, spiral for both of them, and they (the days trim point, thereafter £235 per missing out on her tenpin bowling. parent) wouldn’t be able to have bed day) The NHS are great, but why aren’t gone home sooner – that means short-term wheelchairs part of it?” potentially longer stays in hospital It is assumed that Melvyn Melvyn greatly appreciates having or else other types of care, greater would still have required the the wheelchair, to get out and about. care package needed at home, in community bed, crutches and He feels he is more independent addition to the frustration of being similar equipment from the and that it has made a big difference stuck indoors, or stuck in a cycle of hospital even if he had had the to his capability and wellbeing. going from sofa to commode and if operation. “We’re much less isolated, and people are attempting manoeuvres, there’s less emotional strain on especially if they’re not supposed both of us... biggest impact would to be bearing weight, there is some be on my daughter, she now has risk of falls, and a knock-on effect on some freedom, time interacting with their rehabilitation.” friends, and learning to be around people. She doesn’t have to suffer when it’s not her fault.” Melvyn’s daughter has a very close relationship with her father, to the extent that she becomes very upset if Melvyn has to leave her (other than at school). It is likely that if Melvyn had to stay in hospital, she would have gone into temporary social services care, which would have been traumatising for her. Melvyn asked: “why isn’t the wheelchair included in the local authority’s support package if they don’t want to commit themselves to the cost of my daughter having to go to social services?” 19