Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 September 2022
299. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Health if he intends to introduce a statutory time limit for wheelchair users having to wait for a replacement or repaired wheelchair; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45264/22]
View answerThe Health Service Executive (HSE) provides a wide range of medical and surgical aids and appliances free of charge to eligible persons (such as medical card holders and people on the Long-Term Illness scheme) following assessment by a relevant health professional. These are provided through community services known as Community Funded Schemes and play a key role in assisting and supporting people to maintain everyday functioning, and to remain living in their homes and local community.
The provision by the HSE of wheelchairs to eligible persons is based on a number of criteria, the most important of which is assessed clinical need. A priority rating is assigned to each application based on this identified clinical need. In addition, the impact on the individual applicant’s quality of life, the length of time the individual has been waiting, and the available budget are factors that form part of the decision-making process.
The HSE advise that standard stock wheelchairs are readily available while bespoke and powered wheelchairs can take time to be manufactured and delivered by the supplier, making the determination of a meaningful standard ‘waiting time’ extremely difficult and not practical. At present, the wait time from clinical assessment and approval for standard wheelchairs which are kept as stock items is normally no more than one to two weeks. For bespoke and powered wheelchairs, the wait time is longer and can be up to twelve weeks. The HSE is of the view that it would be detrimental to the provision of good quality and needs based health services, if criteria for provision was to be reduced to a pre-determined time period only.
A HSE led National Service Improvement Programme has the aim of improving the equity of access, value for money, and functional processes of the Community Funded Schemes through the establishment of national standards and guidelines for the provision of medical and surgical aids and appliances. The scale of this Programme is enormous given that many thousands of items are provided from community-based services across the country. While this work was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Programme has now recommenced, and work is progressing.
