Written question asked by Baroness May of Maidenhead (Conservative) on Wednesday, 3 June 1998, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 15 June 1998. It was answered by Lord Boateng (Labour) on Monday, 15 June 1998 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what specific guidelines have been issued by his Department or the NHS Executive on the procedures to be followed by health authorities and NHS trusts for consultation with user groups of the wheelchair service; and if he will set out those guidelines.

Answer: Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what specific guidelines have been issued by his Department or the NHS Executive on the procedures to be followed by health authorities and NHS trusts for consultation with user groups of the wheelchair service; and if he will set out those guidelines. [44663] Mr. Boateng: When National Health Service provision of electrically powered indoor/outdoor wheelchairs was introduced in 1996 the NHS Executive issued guidelines which stated that users and their representative groups should be involved in the development of local eligibility criteria. These guidelines, and the guidelines issued when the wheelchair voucher scheme was introduced in the same year, also encouraged wheelchair services to use, or consult, the specialist staff of voluntary disability organisations who may have particular expertise in dealing with people with specific disabilities. A series of national and regional conferences has promoted the involvement of users and their representatives in the development, monitoring and evaluation of wheelchair services.

Secondary information