Alison Hume has called for an independent national regulator after revealing that severe delays and failing NHS-contracted wheelchair services are leaving local residents trapped in their own homes.
Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume has raised serious concerns about the state of NHS-contracted wheelchair services, stating that local people have been profoundly let down by the current system.
The Member of Parliament has highlighted several distressing cases within her constituency where vulnerable residents have been left isolated and ignored due to severe delays in receiving essential mobility equipment or necessary repairs.
In one specific case detailed by the MP, a woman in her early eighties who relies on an electric wheelchair to leave her home was left without any interim support. Despite her family already making all the necessary adaptations to her property to accommodate the chair, the provider, AJM Healthcare, was completely unable to give any specific timeframe for her application.
Other residents have faced similar ordeals, with some being trapped indoors for months due to supply chain issues and corporate collapses. One constituent was housebound for three months waiting for simple replacement parts, while another discovered their repair company had gone into liquidation after enduring months of unanswered calls over a routine maintenance issue.
Believing that the current system is fundamentally broken, Ms Hume is now demanding that wheelchair service providers be held to account by an independent national regulator to ensure basic standards are met and to prevent residents from becoming prisoners in their own homes.
Scarborough and Whitby MP Alison Hume said:
"Many of my constituents in Scarborough and Whitby have been profoundly failed by NHS contracted wheelchair services. One constituent of mine, a woman in her early 80s became reliant on an electric wheelchair to leave the house. Her family and friends reached out to me after failing to be told when a wheelchair might be provided and not being offered any interim support. All the necessary adaptations had been already made to her home to accommodate the wheelchair. After contacting AJM Healthcare, they were completely unable to provide a specific timeframe for the progress of her application. Other constituents have also come up against significant delays for wheelchair repairs, leading them to become prisoners in their own homes."
Speaking further on the unacceptable delays and the devastating impact on the daily lives of local residents, Ms Hume said:
"One resident requested my help after being housebound for three months while waiting for the supplier to simply send on the correct replacement parts. Another similarly endured three months of delays over a routine maintenance issue, only to discover after countless unanswered calls that the repairs company had gone into liquidation. It's clear that the current system isn't working. Wheelchair providers are failing to meet even the most basic standards, leaving people isolated, housebound and ignored. It's high time wheelchair service providers are held to account by an independent national regulator."
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