NHS reverses decision not to provide wheelchair for teenager

Robin said he would not back down, even after Theo was granted funding

The father of a teenager with complex health conditions said it was "morally wrong" that the NHS was refusing to pay for wheelchairs for some children with disabilities.

Theo, of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, was told he did not meet the criteria for a new wheelchair until, after appeals by family, he was granted funding.

The local NHS commissioning board said it was "sorry for the distress caused".

His father, Robin, said the criteria was "reprehensible" and had to change.

"The NHS made us feel he didn't deserve a wheelchair," he added.

"How can we possibly have a situation where disabled people feel like they don't deserve something as simple as a wheelchair?"

The family argued that while Theo uses a walker at home, he is at risk of falls if he walks too far

The 15-year-old has epilepsy, cerebral palsy and autism and a doctor's assessment said he was "visibly exhausted after walking 10 metres".

After Theo outgrew his NHS-funded wheelchair, Robin said it came like a "bolt from the blue" in June that he was not automatically eligible for a replacement.

The family was told he did not meet the criteria from the NHS Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care Board (ICB) because he did not use the wheelchair around the home, and instead uses a walker or help from his parents.

'Exceptional basis'

Robin argued Theo was at risk of falls outside the home and needed the freedom to to get around, including at school.

They were shocked when, in a letter seen by the BBC, ICB chief executive Jan Thomas suggested they could be supported if they wanted to seek "charity funding".

Theo said he was "angry and frustrated" at the decision and that a wheelchair would help him "access the world around him".

In a later email sent on Friday and seen by the BBC, the ICB it said it made an "error in applying the policy" in Theo's case.

It said it would continue to offer funding "on an exceptional basis" until Theo turned 18.

Robin says Theo's feet can drag on the floor with his current wheelchair, which he has outgrown

Responding to the U-turn, Robin said: "It's wrong that Theo gets a wheelchair when there are lots of other kids that are still having this criteria applied to them.

"I think it's morally wrong; it's reprehensible.

"It has to change and as far as I'm concerned it doesn't end here."

'Isolating'

Each local ICB is responsible for setting the eligibility criteria and in Cambridgeshire the rules changed in 2019, the reason for which has not been explained.

Peterborough-based charity Little Miracles supports parents of children with disabilities and life limiting conditions across five counties.

It said it was helping 80 families to appeal rejected applications for NHS-funded wheelchairs.

Chief executive Michelle King said, in some areas, a child who could walk even a few steps between furniture was ineligible for a wheelchair because they were seen as being able to walk.

"It's really isolating for the whole family," she added.

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The ICB was asked by the BBC whether it had changed or planned to review its criteria in the light of Theo's case.

It is yet to respond.

Regarding the initial rejection, an ICB spokesperson had said: "We understand the frustration that families with children who have a disability face when navigating the support available from health and care organisations, and we are sorry for the distress this has caused."