hi all well after nearly 2 years fighting i think we have finally got somewhere with getting a suitable chair for my tina using the personal wheelchair budget to purchase a used chair via ebay seller as in op link solutions mobility, however they still insist we must also purchase the extended warranty and we have to wait for wcs to send a purchase order after they deem it suitable which they did today,so maybe just maybe my efforts are not invain!
but im not going to count on it yet as it be just my luck the chair sells before they act,it seems there will never be any similar enactment of the pwb along the lines of bms direct payment for atleast another year in our area.
also in answer to the question of the difference between the voucher system and the version of the pwb they have adopted here in sussex is and this is from wcs manager email
In terms of the difference between vouchers and personal wheelchair budgets, please see the personal wheelchair budget leaflet on our website for more information:
https://www.sussexcommunity.nhs.uk/serv ... ryID=16359. There are a number of differences, including the introduction of support plans to support more holistic and collaborative assessment, but one of the big differences that is relevant to Linda is that independent vouchers were only permitted for manual wheelchairs, whereas now the personal wheelchair budget scheme includes powered wheelchairs. I accept that as a service we do have further work to do in order to be fully using the personal wheelchair budget system as intended, however we are working on this, along with many other services in the country. The request to purchase second hand is a new situation for us, so we are establishing the process as we do it. As I mentioned in a previous email, when it comes to client choice regarding how to spend the money, there are still going to be limitations, even with the personal wheelchair budget process. Giving clients the money to spend as they wish e.g. purchasing via auction sites or self-building, would be more in keeping with a ‘direct payment’, which is not routinely available for personal wheelchair budgets at present. NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care are looking into this further at the moment
so no for now i reckon this is the best we can hope for and tbh im so fed up seeing my tina uncomfortable and getting about by bouncing of the damn walls like some crazy punishing pin ball!
in the mean time tomorrow morning im of to pick up a dead cheap 4mph pride chair with tilt and recline seating just needs a set of lead bricks and footrest sorting and will make her comfy and be able to move freely round the house till and if we get the van os sorted
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