Laura would not have been able to use her crutches safely in snowy and icy weather, risking a fall and further damage to her Laura, knee after her complex operation. She would not have been able to get to Nottinghamshire her hospital appointments in many cases and, without being able to access the right medical and physiotherapy support, her recovery would have taken longer and she would Laura is 20 years old and for the a scan, which revealed that her have had to arrange for last five years has struggled with cruciate ligaments were missing medical home visits when repeated dislocations of her knee, and other ligaments in her knee the bad weather stopped forcing her to manage with crutches were severely damaged. At the her getting to the local GP for six months at a time on two beginning of December 2014 she separate occasions. Laura feels had a long and complex operation clinic safely. In addition, it that if she had known about the to reconstruct her knee ligaments. is highly likely that if she Red Cross short-term wheelchair Laura is now taking a ‘recovery did not have a wheelchair loan service on those occasions, it gap year’ before taking up her to help her get around would have made a big difference place at Liverpool University. The and out of the house, she to her life, as she was completely occupational therapist at the hospital would have needed further dependent on relatives and friends told Laura about the Red Cross to get her out and around the house. short-term wheelchair loan service, support during the week When intensive physiotherapy failed and she has used it since her from a care worker. to solve the problem, Laura had discharge. 20