Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether an Equality and Health Inequalities Impact Assessment has been conducted on the current specification for wheelchair and posture eligibility and issuing criteria for children aged five and under.

NHS England does not have a specific date agreed for publishing the all age Wheelchair Commissioning Framework for commissioning wheelchair services, including for those under five years old.

As part of development of the Wheelchair Commissioning Framework, NHS England has consulted with the following stakeholders in the National Wheelchair Advisory Group:

- National Wheelchair Managers Forum;

- Whizz Kids;

- The National Wheelchair Alliance;

- Wheelchair Service Managers;

- Newlife Foundation Charity;

- Bangor University;

- Commissioners from integrated care boards (ICBs);

- Provider organisations;

- People with Lived Experience;

- Posture Mobility Group; and

- ResMag Rehabilitation Engineering Profession.

The Wheelchair Commissioning Framework does not include a review of National Health Service wheelchair services eligibility criteria. ICBs are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchairs services and for the development of the local wheelchair service eligibility criteria based on the needs of their local population.

This includes responsibility for conducting an Equality and Health Inequalities Impact Assessment for their current specifications for wheelchair and posture eligibility and issuing criteria for children aged five and under. NHS England has not issued any guidance or model service specifications related to wheelchair and posture eligibility specifically focussed on children aged five and under. The current model service specification and future commissioning framework are tools to support ICBs to commission wheelchair services for all ages.