New Wheelchair Service Outlined For Derbyshire
Health leaders are to receive the outcome of a recent process to secure new wheelchair services for Derbyshire, which make the most of updated technology and offer evening and weekend clinics.
Derbyshire’s NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (which plan, pay for and monitor health services) reviewed wheelchair services to check what users were offered and if any improvements could be made.
Based on findings the CCGs set out the requirements and invited tenders from providers. Five organisations competed for the contract, which was judged by a procurement panel including lay representatives, commissioning leaders, and equality, diversity and quality leads. At their public meeting in Clay Cross tomorrow (1 Nov) the CCGs’ Governing Bodies will formally receive the outcome of the procurement process.
Kate Brown, Director of Joint Commissioning and Community Development for Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Groups, said: “Health commissioners aim to make sure services are high quality, meet the changing health needs of local people and use public money well.
“For the wheelchair service we had a strong range of providers to choose from and had an excellent panel evaluating these, including impartial lay representatives to ensure we can be confident in the outcome of the process.”
The Governing Bodies will be informed that the successful service provider, AJ Healthcare, will be contracted for three years from January 2019 to provide wheelchair users with clinical assessments, specialist seating, and delivery and repairs. These will all be supported by clinical teams, customer service and logistics working together from two service centres and satellite clinics located around the county. Assessments will consider users’ lifestyles as well as clinical needs and will coordinate with local health and social care professionals.
Mark Perress, Chief Executive Officer of AJM Healthcare, said: “During the tender process commissioners thoroughly investigated our services to confirm the quality we offer.
“We work extremely hard to create a culture and model of delivering services that meet wheelchair-users’ needs.
Our clinical teams look at the evidence and proof for what works well and are innovative in planning for future requirements to make sure the people we support are at the heart of everything we do.”
Lay representatives Steve Bramley and Peter Cade were part of the panel which chose the new provider and welcomed the changes.
Steve said: “I was impressed to see how much effort goes into choosing the future service provider.
“It is reassuring to know that public representatives can have so much input into the procurement process.
“If the chosen bidder follows through on their offer this will streamline and modernise Wheelchair Services in Derbyshire, greatly benefiting service users.”
Peter, who uses a wheelchair, added: “The evening and weekend clinics could be a major benefit to a lot of wheelchair users who are at work in the week.
“For those people who decide they wish to have their wheelchair funded through a personal budget this new service will give them choice over things like the options of their chair, like having a riser, or a particular colour, and it might make it possible to have one chair for all purposes, rather than a child having one for school and one for home, and that makes a huge difference.”
To view the report in full visit www.southernderbyshireccg.nhs.uk/about-us/governing-body/papers/?assetdet69886=6288&categoryesctl406666=1220
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