Impact of our wheelchair loan Economic resource savings Avoiding call out of registered ambulance with medically trained ambulance staff Speaking about the positive impact £4,607 for admittance for 2 x A&E of the wheelchair on reducing social incidences for resetting her isolation, an occupational therapist ankle, and return trip home noted: “I think if service users – Avoided community in plaster plus 2 x additional especially older people – don’t have rehabilitation unit care home follow-up hospital appointments the opportunity to get out and be costs, as per recommendations and return trip home = mobile, they can become insular and from social care services = £1,864 resource savings further isolated, feel like their physical £1,913 cost savings to for NHS ambulance service abilities have been limited and so Community Rehabilitation Unit (based on £233 per incidence of ambulance they make less effort to go out, may (combination of health trust and call out: see, treat and convey; PSSRU, 2014) even be tempted not to bother – this local authority care) can get them in a rut, and then they (based on £1,913 per typical low-cost Avoiding A&E attendance as stop looking after their hygiene, stop episode, in purpose-built units for older cooking and eating properly – it’s people requiring recuperation after an an outpatient, from likely fall at basically going through levels of illness, fall or temporary difficulty managing home if she had been without a daily living; PSSRU, 2014. Note this is equal wheelchair during recovery = depression. There may even be a to approximately three weeks’ recovery need for additional care as this can period with the Red Cross wheelchair, create a much bigger problem at that therefore consistent with timeframes of this £129 resource savings case, as the weekly cost is estimated at for Accident and Emergency point [for care services].” approximately £637; PSSRU, 2014) department Peggy’s personal message to others (based on NHS National Tariff of £129 per about the Red Cross short-term Improving her ability to recover A&E incidence with category 2 investigation wheelchair loan service is: “It’s there faster by one week, plus and category 3 treatment, i.e. plaster removal or application, bone fracture) when all else fails’.” avoiding three weeks of needing home carers at an increased “critical” level of support = £233 resource savings £468 resource savings for for NHS ambulance service to social care services transport to A&E (based on £117 difference between £397 per (based on £233 per incidence of ambulance week Home Care cost “Critical” level, and call out, see, treat and convey; PSSRU, 2014) £280 per week “Substantial” level; PSSRU, 2014) British Red Cross mobility aids service, South Yorkshire © Matthew Percival/ British Red Cross. 29