Impact of our wheelchair loan Economic resource savings The Red Cross wheelchair was hospital without causing further £699 of great value to Joanne and her discomfort or damage. In their family, despite the short time she words: “It made everything so much Avoiding weekly call out of had it before her death. Her parents easier… the wheelchair was the registered ambulance with explained: “We realised we wouldn’t central thing to have. We wondered medically trained ambulance be able to get Joanne out, even how we’d have managed without it, staff for hospital appointments from the house to the car… it took there’s nothing worse than trying to during three weeks of a lot of concerns about her lack of bundle someone into the car when wheelchair usage = mobility away. She would have got they can’t physically walk. This made depressed being stuck indoors, she the whole thing far less stressful, and £699 resource savings for would have really hated it. She would we felt better that we could at least NHS ambulance service have deteriorated even faster.” be doing something to help.” (based on £233 per incidence of ambulance The wheelchair allowed Joanne to The wheelchair helped Joanne to go call out: see, treat and convey; PSSRU, 2014) th access a local hospice, where she out with friends for her 48 birthday enjoyed embroidery and other hobby meal, on what turned out to be crafts. It also enabled her to enjoy her final weekend. Her parents feel moving around when she visited, strongly that she “would not have rather than being stuck in one place. been with us for as long. It opened Joanne was also able to go on a up her life again for a short while. final holiday weekend in Dorset with Without it she wouldn’t have survived her closest friends. She had been as long. More people should know looking forward to this for a long about this service and what the Red time and without the wheelchair she Cross does…anybody who needs would have been unable to go. anything like it, it will be an absolute Joanne’s parents were able to get godsend.” her into the car and take her to 27