“So it’s important we are focused on saving related to transport, whereby HCPs identified benefits beyond the longer-term outcome, because transport (such as an ambulance) savings to health and social care while wheelchairs are essential for would have been required to attend services. They spoke of the return to anything that is injury-based and has a heath care facility or home visits ‘normality’ in a faster return to work potential for rehabilitation, especially would have been required. or education, which is associated if people are non-weight bearing or The HCP interviews also strongly with positive mental and social partial weight bearing – and this advice supported the preventative value benefits. Although this economic has to come from the occupational of short-term wheelchair loans evaluation did not intend to examine therapist or physiotherapist – we and their centrality to the process personal income or savings in have to review the situation to make of rehabilitation. In regards to their any depth, benefits to these were sure the service user is not becoming preventative role, one HCP noted that identified. dependent on the wheelchair.” having a wheelchair reduced the risks In all, the interrelationship of health (occupational therapist). associated with getting about without and social care benefits observed Economic impact and one, and many of the case studies in the case studies married with the preventative value noted the risk associated with trying economic evaluation; both together The economic evaluation revealed to get around on crutches. aid recovery. HCPs associated such overall health and social care savings As highlighted in the case studies, the benefits with enhanced rehabilitation. ranging from £469 to £4,607 across loan of a wheelchair was felt to affect They noted that wheelchair loan the nine case studies, with an the wider family unit, and it is related could enable shorter hospital stays, average saving of £1,676 (see Figure to this wider unit where social care with patients returning home sooner 1). As such, the findings clearly savings were largely identified. These where they can recover faster and quantify the preventative value of savings played out in the prevention in more comfort. They also noted short-term wheelchair loans with of either an increase to an existing that the wheelchair could aid cost savings evidenced across both care package, the introduction of a rehabilitation inside and outside the health and social care. care package, or the need to support home, allowing the user to get about dependents of the wheelchair user. more easily. These findings indicate Health savings were particularly high Social care savings ranged from £100 both the benefits associated with and ranged from £343 to £4,139 (the to £1,400, with an average saving of wheelchair loans from the user and average saving per case study was £332. wider family perspective, and the £1,344). The most frequently reported cost savings generated. £ 0 1500 3000 4500 6000 7500 9000 10500 12000 13500 1500 16500 Sameena Laura Melvyn Holly Ronald Ashleigh Joanne Margaret Janis Heath sector savings Social care sector savings Total Average heath sector savings Average care sector savings Average total savings FIGURE 1 SAVINGS PER SERVICE USER RESULTING FROM WHEELCHAIR LOANS 31