Wheelchair Assistant Practitioner

Reflective article on plenary session by Laura Brown and Abigail Needham entitled Innovation processes to meet the needs of people with disabilities. This article was submitted as a condition of the author receiving a bursary place at PMG2024.

Having started my journey in mobility products working for a well-known manufacturer of scooters, wheelchairs, powerchairs and other mobility aids, I moved on to become a field engineer working for an approved repairer for the NHS. I then worked for the NHS directly, firstly as a Wheelchair Technician, after which the opportunity arose for me to progress my career by taking on the role of Wheelchair Assistant Practitioner.

Finding myself on the clinical side of healthcare and having a very large learning curve to complete, I was grateful of the opportunity of a bursary from PMG to attend the conference and gain some valuable skills, knowledge, networking and insights into healthcare that I have not had the opportunity of until now.

The presentation I found most interesting and suitable to assist me in my current role was entitled Innovation processes to meet the needs of people with disabilities. This was presented by Laura Brown and Abigail Needham. I found this interesting as it will help me with discussions with patients concerning wheelchair provision and assistive technology for self-propulsion. This, as the speakers say, would benefit a multitude of patients in their rehabilitation. They discussed how provision could be supplied through the NHS, most likely through Personal Wheelchair Budgets (PWB). It could also be a method for encouraging positive healthcare outcomes, not only for the mental health of patients but also their physical health and well-being.

Using the PICO framework the presenters were able to demonstrate the outcomes expected. The PICO framework is a model for structuring clinical questions and stands for patient/population, intervention, comparison and outcomes. Unfortunately, as mentioned by the presenters, most patients were issued with wheelchairs which were not compatible with other assistive technology (such as “power assist”). Does this pose the question of whether we should bring this additional assistance to the table sooner in the patient’s rehabilitation, in other words offering them wheelchairs with the option of purchasing assistive powered wheels through PWB? This could improve healthcare outcomes. It could also reduce costs to the NHS, as we all know a patient that is happy and feels engaged within their own healthcare reduces burdens on the NHS overall.

I agree with the presenters in their “Low hanging fruit” slide, and feel that “power assist” should be mentioned in the same breath as “power packs”, especially for the more actively independent patients. More collaboration is needed with third-party providers to help patients find funding assistance for power assisted wheels, but as mentioned before we, as wheelchair providers, could assist in meeting halfway by providing a wheelchair that is compatible with this type of assistive technology.

Reflecting on my journey and the insights gained from the conference, it's clear that there is immense potential in improving wheelchair provision through innovative assistive technologies. By integrating these advancements early in patient rehabilitation and collaborating with third-party providers for funding solutions, we can enhance patient outcomes, both mentally and physically, and alleviate the long-term burden on the NHS.

This presentation has encouraged me to reflect on the current provision within NHS wheelchair services (WCS) and ask the question: “Are WCS keeping up to date with the developments and innovations that are available on the market today?” Some may view that WCS base their criteria on equipment provision available twenty or more years ago and not based on the advances in medical devices today.

Many individuals struggle to transport powered wheelchairs as they cannot afford the high costs of a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAV), but to use a manual wheelchair with add on power assist drive makes it far more realistic for more people to transport within a standard car.

Many individuals prematurely transition into powered mobility rather than having the opportunity to trial and explore the options of adding a powered add (or power assist) on drive to a suitable manual wheelchair. Moving forward, I am committed to advocating for the adoption of compatible wheelchairs and assistive technologies in our practice. I believe that with continued education, collaboration, and a focus on patient-centred care, we can significantly improve the quality of life for wheelchair users.

I look forward to contributing to a future where every patient has access to the best possible mobility solutions.