Getting the right wheelchair is all about getting the right assessment. An in-depth wheelchair assessment will ensure that your client gets a wheelchair that suits their needs.
Our Wheelchair Provision Process
Refer your client, then leave it up to us.
We accept referrals from anyone, from the clients themselves to any health professionals involved in their care. Once we receive the referral, we’ll contact the client and arrange a time for us to visit. If we get enough information, we’ll try and take potential trial equipment with us.
Step 2
Assessment
We normally see clients in their own homes – but if they attend a local physiotherapy clinic, we can see them there too.
The assessment is where our clinical experience as therapists is most valuable. We start the assessment process by taking the client’s medical history; this gives us an overview of what the client should be able to achieve and what problems the wheelchair needs to overcome.
We complete a full postural assessment with every patient. We have a mobile plinth, which allows us to see the patient seated without any support. We will look at flexibility and sitting balance to determine what support is required in the new wheelchair, or what adjustments are needed to the existing one. This is such an important part of the process, yet it is often overlooked by retailers and inexperienced therapists.
Sometimes we will visit other locations to determine the environmental requirements for the wheelchair. This could be the client’s workplace or specific outdoor locations that the client needs to access.
Having the client’s family, therapists and care staff at the assessment is often very helpful. They will often have specific requirements that need to be addressed.
We will discuss what you and your client want to achieve and create a list of goals. We transfer those goals into an outcome measure called Goal Attainment Scaling. This is an objective, numeric method to measure the outcome of our intervention.
Step 3
Wheelchair Trial
If the new equipment is going to be substantially different from the existing wheelchair, then a trial is essential. This provides concrete evidence that the new equipment is going to do the job we intend it to, and it enables us to prescribe the new equipment very accurately. It also allows the client to see and feel the benefit of the new equipment and give their opinion on its configuration.
We have a range of trial equipment available within our own stock, but if it’s something we don’t have, we’ll order it in from a retailer or manufacturer.
Step 4
Wheelchair Prescription
This involves collating the information we’ve gained throughout the assessment / trial process and determining which products are most capable of meeting the client’s goals. We will discuss the various options with your client and provide you with a written report and a list of recommendations.
We will arrange for quotes from retailers. If you need multiple quotes, we can do that too.
Step 5
Order & Delviery
We aim to make this process as quick and easy as possible so that the only thing you or your client need to do is make payment! We’ll arrange everything else with the retailer – they will deliver the equipment to us, and we’ll make any necessary adjustments before arranging delivery and handover with your client.
Step 6
Review
We want to ensure the wheelchair is set up as best as possible for your client, so we always recommend a 6-week review. By this time, your client will have become accustomed to the new equipment and may need a few tweaks to improve its configuration. We also suggest a 6-month review, especially for children or any client with a changing presentation.
