Strengthening NHS wheelchair services: commissioning with confidence

Getting the right wheelchair, and getting it repaired when something goes wrong, can shape almost every part of daily life for people living with SMA.

On Wednesday 11 November, SMA UK joined wheelchair users, campaigners and decision-makers in Westminster for the launch of the Public Service Ombudsman’s report on NHS wheelchair services in England. SMA UK are members of the Wheelchair Alliance who jointly hosted the event with the The Ombudsman.

What is the Public Service Ombudsman?

The Public Service Ombudsman is an independent body set up by Parliament. If someone has been through the NHS complaints process in England and their complaint is still unresolved, they can ask the Ombudsman to look at it. The service is free. The Ombudsman can recommend steps to put things right and uses what it learns from individual complaints to identify problems that affect more people.

Complaints about wheelchair services received by the Ombudsman rose from eight in 2020/21 to 110 in 2025/26. Behind those figures are people whose lives were put on hold.

What does the report say?

The report looks at what was going wrong across services and why the same problems kept coming up. It found gaps in the information local NHS teams use to plan services and in how they check whether providers are meeting people’s needs. It also highlights poor communication, which can leave people chasing updates while trying to manage without suitable equipment. Nick Goldup, CEO of the Wheelchair Alliance put the issue into perspective at the event yesterday when he said,

“How is it that we can know exactly where our takeaway is and when it will arrive, but not where our wheelchair is?”

For wheelchair users, these problems can mean long waits for a suitable chair or a repair, with little information about when they can expect help.

The report mentions Graham, who lives with SMA. He was assessed as urgently needing a replacement wheelchair, he should have received it by August 2023. The chair arrived more than a year later, and its batteries died on his first outing, after just 100 yards.

The Ombudsman is calling on the Government and NHS England to take a more consistent approach across England. That means:

• clearer national oversight and better data
• more support for the NHS bodies that plan and pay for local wheelchair services (ICB’s).
• a greater focus on what those services actually deliver for wheelchair users.

What SMA UK wants to see

At SMA UK, we want people living with SMA to get the right help at the right time, with individualised support from professionals who understand their specific needs. That means the right wheelchair at the right time, tailored to each person’s life, with timely support as their needs change or when something goes wrong.

This must include access for young children, giving them the freedom to move, play and explore their environment as any other child would. Wheelchair users and their families must have a say in how services are designed and judged. Success should be measured not just by waiting times, but by whether people have a chair that meets their needs and the support to use it confidently in everyday life.

SMA UK welcome the Ombudsman’s call for national action. Now we need to see is a response from the Government and NHS England that makes a practical difference for wheelchair users.

Read the full report here