Impact of our wheelchair loan Economic resource savings The wheelchair helped Ashleigh As a student nurse, Ashleigh was £831 return to university quicker. As a also aware of the consequences for Additional personal finance result of the accident, she missed her health and wellbeing if she lost savings four weeks at the start of the her independence. She feels strongly year and three weeks of practice. that the wheelchair was essential to Ashleigh was desperate to not miss help her get out of the house and £21,750 any more time because teaching feel less isolated. “If I didn’t have my regulations and accreditation wheelchair and just had crutches, requirements would force her to quit I would have done myself serious Avoided an extra night and day the third year and start again, re- damage [due to weight-bearing] in hospital = sitting exams the following academic and ended back in A&E and caused £469 resource savings to year. This would have cost her and sustained damage to my ankle. her partner a great deal, financially Also, if I didn’t have the wheelchair I NHS hospital services and emotionally. would have been admitted into the (based on £3,283 average cost of elective inpatient episode, divided by 7 days, She said: “I would have been orthopaedic ward at least for one assuming one week long episode before extra day rather than get discharged discharge; PSSRU, 2014) devastated…I’m three weeks behind to go home.” all my other classmates, but any longer than that and I wouldn’t have Ashleigh says she would not have Avoiding ambulance call out been able to qualify in September… been able to buy her own wheelchair following a fall = Without the wheelchair, I wouldn’t if there was no loan service, but even £233 resource savings for have gone back to university until if the recovery time with crutches I was fully weight-bearing. I would was about the same, having the NHS ambulance service have been confined to my house wheelchair improved [her] quality (based on £233 per incidence of ambulance for seven weeks if not longer and of life tenfold and helped to avoid call out, see, treat and convey; PSSRU, 2014) would have had to defer my course complications. [This service] is for a year – it would have cost me an invaluable part of recovery. Avoiding attending A&E as an financially to re-sit some of the Without that added support, my outpatient following a fall = modules, about £1000–£2,000. We recovery wouldn’t have been as have to maintain 45 weeks on the straightforward. It’s quite easy to slip £129 resource savings course... Without the wheelchair I back into that negative state of mind for Accident and Emergency would have set myself back a year.” when even going to the toilet is a department In addition, without the wheelchair, struggle. [Having the wheelchair] has (based on NHS National Tariff of £129 per definitely benefitted my mental health A&E incidence with category 2 investigation Ashleigh’s partner would have which is very much understated in and category 3 treatment, i.e. plaster had to take more time off work to removal or application, bone fracture, etc.) care for her during recovery. Not physical recovery.” being able to go out to work for Finally, Ashleigh commented 17 six weeks meant they “would have that patients of her colleagues, Personal cost = been crippled financially and with especially occupational therapists £19,500 loss of one year just crutches I would have become and physiotherapists, would benefit of income really depressed… personally, I greatly from this service, especially (income net of tax and national insurance, as didn’t realise how much I liked my if the wheelchair loan could be a qualified hospital nurse, based on £25,744 independence until it [the accident] involved earlier in patient recovery average wage for hospital-based nursing staff, day ward or 24-hour; PSSRU, 2014) happened.” options. 18 Personal cost = £1,500 exam fee 19 Partner personal cost = 17 Cost of missing one year’s salary, having to unclear if learning support allowance would postpone third year of course and thereby be available in all such cases, as the learning £750 net salary delaying graduation and employment as a institution’s policy is that this would only relate to approximately nurse. a student’s accident/injury if it coincided with an (based on £17,344 average annual salary in 18 Cost of nursing exams re-sit, if she had been assessment deadline or an examination/test). forced to defer and re-sit the whole year (unless 19 Avoided loss of income (or paid holidays) net Cornwall divided by 52 weeks and pro-rated; learning support allowance is available for this of tax and national insurance, if partner had Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey circumstance, however this is at the discretion to spend half of the working week caring for of Hours and Earnings, 2014) of the learning institution. In addition, it is Ashleigh for the six-week period. 17