Portsmouth and South Hampshire Wheelchair Users Survey

Healthwatch Portsmouth and Healthwatch Hampshire decided to research access to wheelchair services after receiving unsolicited local feedback. They undertook a survey to which 46 people responded.

Key findings

56% of wheelchairs have been provided by one provider 

Some people said they had unresolved service commitments of up to seven years 

A majority (70%) of respondents report poor or very poor experiences from one of the largest providers in the area • Those with poor or very poor service experiences report ‘moderate’ or ‘significant’ negative impacts affecting their personal finances (39%), physical health (54%), and mental health (48%). 

 At each stage from referral to maintenance, a majority of respondents felt their experiences of their wheelchair service were either ‘very poor’ or ‘poor’ .