Integrated & Community Services - Salford Wheelchair Service

Welcome to Salford Wheelchair Service

We are a community-based service made up of Wheelchair Therapists, Community Assessment Officers and Wheelchair Technicians. While we prefer to complete our assessments in our Wheelchair Clinic, we can also offer assessment in your own home, or wherever is appropriate for you at that time.

You can access our service if you:

• have permanent mobility difficulties, both indoors and outdoors
• are either a permanent resident of Salford or registered with a Salford GP
• require a wheelchair for longer than six months or have palliative needs.

To make a referral:

Anyone can make a referral to request a wheelchair assessment. You can phone our “Centre of Contact” on 0161 206 0604 or email salford.socialservices@nca.nhs.uk or you can use the online referral portal at adultsportal.salford.gov.uk

When making a referral we need to know what the wheelchair is required for. It is also helpful to know your height, weight and diagnosis as this may help us action the referral more quickly.

There is no age restriction to access the service. However, wheelchairs or buggies will not be provided for babies and very young children when their posture and mobility needs can be met by commercially available buggies.

We offer assessment and provision of a wheelchair that will meet your needs for mobility, within the limits of our NHS provision criteria. We aim to provide a holistic assessment which will consider your lifestyle as well as your postural and pressure care needs. People sometimes leave clinic with a wheelchair on the same day, but more specialist equipment often needs to be made to measure, and needs to be ordered.

We work within the National Personal Wheelchair Budget Framework. This means that following your assessment we will identify a wheelchair to meet your needs and the cost to the NHS for that chair. This amount is your Personal Wheelchair Budget Value.

You then have three options:

• we provide you with a wheelchair
• we provide you with a wheelchair and you can then pay a top up to purchase additional desirable features that are not considered clinically essential
• if you prefer, you can use your Personal Wheelchair Budget Value to buy a wheelchair from a wheelchair retailer. If your chosen wheelchair costs more than the agreed value of your budget, you will need to pay this yourself.

If we have issued a wheelchair to you, we will repair and maintain it for you, and change it if your needs change.

If you choose to buy a wheelchair from elsewhere using your Personal Wheelchair Budget, you will need to maintain this wheelchair yourself. We have a leaflet specifically about Personal Wheelchair Budgets, please ask us for a copy if you would like more information.

When we have received your referral a Duty Officer will call you back to discuss the referral in more detail. Following this telephone assessment, a wheelchair may be sent out to you or, if your needs are more complex, arrangements will be made for a face to face assessment.

We are unable to provide:

• Powered outdoor only wheelchairs
• Mobility Scooters
• Equipment specifically for work, education or sporting requirements
• Standard transit wheelchairs for residents in Residential or Nursing Homes
• Children’s car seats
• Wheelchairs for short term periods; less than 6 months use
• When wheelchair provision has contra-indications to the client’s medical condition or safety.

Contact Details

Salford Wheelchair Service Burrows House
Wardley Industrial Estate M28 2LY
0161 206 0604
8:00am – 4:00pm
Email: salford.socialservices@nca.nhs.uk