January 20, 2025 Industry news
In November 2024, the Wheelchair Alliance released the third and final report into the provision of wheelchair services across the NHS following the two earlier publications released in 2022 and 2023.
The final report titled "Wheelchair provision: how to drive effective change”, builds on previous research and explores the persistent challenges faced by the service including “tackling the postcode lottery, long waiting times, issues in the supply chain and ensuring that the voices of wheelchair users are heard"1.
Addressing supply chain and procurement challenges
A key challenge reported stems from the need for better data. The report emphasises the importance of value-based procurement to ensure the long-term value and effectiveness of the wheelchairs, rather than just the initial purchase price. It also highlights the need for improved data submission and quality assurance processes to ensure that the National Wheelchair Dataset (NWD) is complete and accurate.

Nick Goldup, chief operating officer and chair at Wheelchair Alliance, said: "At the moment, there is a ‘data desert’ in terms of demand for wheelchair services. Much of the data currently available is estimated, out of date and not comparable to form a local and national picture. We need a central, accountable body to ensure consistency, no matter the postcode"2.
Recommendations advise that "the Department of Health and Social Care take a more active role in ensuring the quality and efficiency of wheelchair services through better procurement and supply chain management"3.
There is currently no national standardised method of identifying, tracking and tracing the allocation and return of wheelchairs across the NHS. This can lead to wastage within the prescription and distribution process.
Supporting traceability and reducing waste using GS1 standards
The implementation of GS1 standards and adoption of barcode scanning can be used to mitigate this challenge. GS1 standards are frequently used in secondary care setting to effectively trace and trace equipment. Equipment is labelled with a Global Individual Asset Identifier (GIAI) or a returnable identifier (GRAI) so it can be uniquely identified. The GIAI or GRAI is encoded into a barcode, which when scanned at the point of use, captures the unique asset information.
In some instances there is a lack of assurance regarding which wheelchair has been prescribed and allocated to an individual. Where errors are made, an individual may accrue multiple, less than ideal wheelchairs, which can lead to a significant degree of waste due to accumulation of unused equipment. With better traceability processes in place, these items could be recouped and reallocated to the right patient.

In the case of wheelchair provision, each wheelchair could be barcoded before allocation to a patient. It can then be accurately traced to the patient or a location to monitor inventory. As and when a wheelchair is returned, it can be traced back to the provider ready for reallocation.
The advantages have been highlighted in the report: "Our stakeholder engagement suggests that this form of inventory management is already happening within some services across the country. However, in line with several other recommendations we have put forward, it would be beneficial if this was standardised to some degree and rolled out more consistently"4.
Further recommendations for service improvement
The report also highlights a series of additional recommendations* for government which includes:
- Creation of a senior responsible officer (SRO) role: The report recommends establishing an NHSE senior responsible officer role for wheelchair services.
- Standardised eligibility criteria: It suggests that NHSE should mandate a set of standardised eligibility criteria across all services to address the regional and local variation in service quality.
- Dedicated Local Wheelchair Commissioners: A dedicated local wheelchair commissioner in each integrated care board (ICB) to ensure that wheelchair services are commissioned separately and not bundled with other services.
- User groups for meaningful engagement: NHSE should mandate the establishment of user groups to aid in the co-design process of services with wheelchair users.
- Improving data submission and quality: NHSE should work with ICBs to improve the completeness and accuracy of data submitted to the National Wheelchair Dataset (NWD).
- Incorporating clinical input in private retail sales: Trade associations should drive the incorporation of appropriate clinical input to ensure that expert advice from qualified professionals is available prior to the sale of equipment.
GS1 UK collaboration with the Wheelchair Alliance and BHTA
The British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA) is a principal sponsor of the Wheelchair Alliance. Alongside BHTA and the Wheelchair Alliance, the GS1 UK healthcare team is working collaboratively to assess and encourage the implementation and roll out of barcode scanning to improve traceability.
Further information can be found in the Wheelchair Alliance position statement.