NHS Charging for Wheelchairs.....
Ask a Question
Should NHS hospitals charge patients to use wheelchairs? Some London trusts are now charging £2 an hour for wheelchair use after four hours.
Is this fair or wrong? 
That’s shocking. There should be no charge! No one uses a wheelchair until it’s absolutely necessary.
So that's why people make NHS contributions..er no..no ,no..shocking behaviour..look after the sick and disabled .Society is definitely heading in the wrong direction.
They will charge you for being disabled next 
who comes up with these ideas and charges, selfish ignorant people that's who
Honestly I'm not surprised at all if it's not the older generation it's the disabled messed up
Not fair at all and i bet it’s a situation like the car parks, the money does not go back into the nhs
Don't think they should charge, but I know it's difficult for the hospitals as people either steal the chairs or abandon them wherever after use just like they do with supermarket trollies. In my local hospital you are lucky to find a wheelchair . Not sure of the answer maybe a deposit scheme.
Mango4 I can’t see why people would ever want to steal a hospital wheelchair - they dont even fold down. You would need a van to steal one.
suevernon1968 Sadly it happens, some people steal anything with the opportunity.
Some people can't help themselves, others will do it for money, for fun, they think it is funny or even just for 'street cred'
Our Waitrose had a trolley for people with disabled older children or even disabled adults. Similar to the seated ones for babies/toddlers but obviously formed differently. This was ALWAYS getting stolen and dumped, even dumped in a river nearby. This was in a town of mainly older people and were known for their reputation of helping each other out and looking out for the town etc. It was absolutely disgusting, they only had one of these trolleys as they were very expensive, took up a lot of space and probably not needed as often. They could help people that need them so much, it could have meant the difference between not being able to the person shopping and having some freedom than being stuck at home in bed. Yet it was always stolen, the more they tried to deter it the more it happened.
Surely no one should be able to take a wheelchair off the hospital premises, couldn't they be tagged or something. If you are borrowing one to take home and take away from the hospital I guess renting them is ok but certainly not for use in the hospital itself. It's a high cost item and sadly many people are thieves nowadays so I guess its a sign of the times. My brother was in a hospital pharmacy when some people stole some drugs from the pharmacy using distraction tactics and he followed the person out calling for security all the time but no one from the hospital stopped the person and the thief smirked as he left the hospital with the very expensive drugs. I would imagine a wheel chair costs a lot more than those drugs and probably has some resale value.
It's not a charge from NHS, it's from a private company which is hiring wheelchairs to patients. It's similar to Boris bikes.
Its a struggle to get a wheelchair at most of the hospitals i visit. They have the chain and the need for a £1 - suppose to encourage people to return the wheelchairs.
suevernon1968 Oh I didn't know they actually did this, I was thinking this might be a better solution.
If they are sat in hospital waiting to be seen why are patients being charged? That's not ok.
Thats disgraceful. People who need to use wheelchairs don't do it through choice it's not a luxury item it's a basic need to be able to get around.
That’s kind of mean, but I guess it may be to stop them from being stolen? I suppose they can just ask for refundable deposits instead
There shouldn't be any charge to the patient. That is what the NHS was all about when introduced. "It will be free to use for all citizens" says the NHS in it's Constitution for England. To start charging for services that should be free would be a breach of their constitution.
i think its terrible. believe me, none of the patients actually want to be using that wheelchair!
I think it should work like supermarket trolleys where you return the chair and get your pound back. This will prevent chairs being abandoned, stolen or misplaced.
I don’t think you should be charged to use a wheelchair, if it helps the NHS it’s a small fee but no one who finds themselves in a wheelchair wants to e in one it’s obviously necessary.
This is completely wrong. In fact I know someone who recently attended an orthopedic ward in preparation for knee operation and they're weren't even any wheelchairs available nor any nearby disable parking
KeithMorri30374 I do think that it would help with the availability of them though, as many people who are 'unsure' or don't feel it to be absolutely necessary to use one in a hospital still do. This would help discourage this. But maybe a refundable deposit or similar to trolleys in supermarkets, link them up and have to pay to unlock and get your money back once you put it back.
This depends on the circumstances. It would discourage those that don't need them to leave them for those that really do. A charge and then a refund once returned is understandable, many a hospital equipment gets damaged and it isn't cheap to replace or even dispose of sometimes, yet if there isn't proof of who and when it was broken the price falls back on the NHS. There is never enough to go around though. But any solutions that means it can reduce extra costs on the NHS would just cause more admin and more staff, there for wouldn't be worthwhile either.
So there isn't a right or wrong on this I feel sadly. But the NHS have a lot more to focus on and resolve than this.
This is use for an injury and not permanent disability use though? As most disabled people have to buy their own equipment anyway. My father-in-law had to, but his spare chair came in handy when I injured my foot! This is partly what the disability and PIP allowances are for.
What I do not agree with is people trying to give back crutches and they say they aren't able to take them back!! That's wasted money/equipment right there. Places like Facebook marketplace don't allow you to sell wheelchairs or crutches either. I was trying to sell on a wheelchair my Father-in-law no longer needed, that he bought brand new. Due to them costing £60-£200 a chair it would have been very useful to give someone a bargain but also so he could have some money back for the cost. Well I was warned by FB that they would ban me, as you can't sell medical devices and it could be an instant ban for putting people at risk. And yet you can sell used children's out of date car seats...
Some charities allow rentals of wheelchairs.
I have been thinking about this. I wouldn’t mind ‘renting’ a wheelchair for my hospital appointment as long as they only charge you for the amount of time your appointment should have taken - not actually how long you have the wheelchair for. I don’t mind if my appointment is late - it’s understandable when you realise how many patients have to be seen. I wouldn’t want to be rushed through my appointment. Maybe it would put off the people who use a wheelchair when they dont need it.
They should do a deposit scheme so all wheelchairs have to be returned to get the deposit back. Each one booked could have an optional donation to contribute to the scheme. Those that can pay can pay and those that can’t will still get a free chair
I don't believe anyone should have to pay for it especially if they are in need of it. However I do believe there should be something in place that deters people from keeping or damaging it.
Join for free to get genuine deals, money saving advice and help from our friendly community
Chief Bargain Hunter
