Coronavirus: Special forum supports Peterborough wheelchair users

During the coronavirus crisis many wheelchair users, like many others who utilise the services of the NHS, have had to wait while COVID-19 takes priority.

However, more than six months into the crisis, wheelchair users are finding that service requirements that would be considered routine for the NHS in ‘normal times’, are now becoming urgent.

This is where the Healthwatch Wheelchair Forum fits in, providing a vital online, real-time information service for just how and where these services can be found.

Simple issues like getting chair maintenance or replacement batteries can be a daunting prospect if everything appears to be focused on Covid-19.

Chairman, Graham Lewis, Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Partnership Development Manager who hosted a recent online meeting, said: “If you are a wheelchair user and would like to be involved in shaping better services then this is what the monthly Forum is all about.

“We welcome input from all-comers, and expertise advice from NHS service providers is always available.”

The purpose of Healthwatch is to understand the needs, experiences and concerns of people who use health and social care services and to speak out on their behalf, focussing on getting services right for the future.

Healthwatch Cambridgeshire and Peterborough can be contacted on 0330 355 1285 or reached through their website: https://www.healthwatchpeterborough.co.uk/

The next Healthwatch Wheelchair Forum is scheduled for November 5, 2020.