Northumbria Wheelchair Centre

Northumbria Wheelchair Centre services

We offer a one-stop shop for assessing, prescribing and loaning wheelchairs including powered and manual wheelchairs for a minimum of six months. This includes accessories such as cushions and specialist seating equipment. Typically you will be referred to us by a healthcare professional e.g. your GP, physiotherapist, occupational therapist etc.

We are based in Seaton Delaval and support people, their families, and carers with wheelchair and equipment services to promote independence and improve quality of life.

For short term loans of wheelchairs and equipment please visit British Red Cross website.

Who is it for?

We primarily provide equipment for people with a permanent long-term condition who need a wheelchair as part of their mobility within their own home, and have either significantly reduced or no walking ability.

We have a range of wheelchairs available to us and can support Personal Wheelchair Budgets (PWBs).

What to expect when you come to the Wheelchair Centre Clinic

Once you have been referred, your application will be screened on the basis of need and the type of wheelchair you require.

Standard wheelchairs can often be prescribed directly from the information contained within the referral form. This means you will receive your wheelchair sooner.

We have to do a clinical assessment for all non-standard and powered chairs.

You will be contacted by letter and/or telephone to offer you an appointment for your assessment. During this appointment you will be assessed by one of our wheelchair therapists to determine the type of chair and or accessory that will best meet your clinical needs.

You are welcome to bring a carer or friend with you to your appointment.

Where will my assessment take place?

Assessments can take place in a variety of settings, this depends on individual needs, accessibility and the type of assessment/activity required.

Powered and specialist seating clinics are often run in conjunction with external specialist staff e.g. Rehabilitation Engineers. Should this be the case you will be advised of this before your appointment.

Typically you will be referred to us by a healthcare professional e.g. your GP, physiotherapist, occupational therapist etc. Once you are registered with us and use our services you can request a re-assessment directly if your needs change.

We provide services to children aged 30 months and above, and adults who are registered with a North Tyneside or Northumberland GP.

Wheelchairs are provided on the basis of clinical need set against a regionally-agreed criteria.

Following your assessment, we will either issue a chair from our warehouse, or order one from an approved supplier. Chairs from our warehouse can be new or reconditioned models. All chairs are loaned free of charge for as long as they are needed, but remain the property of the NHS.

When your chair is available we will arrange a handover appointment with you for a Wheelchair Therapist or Technical Instructor to check the chair and make any necessary adjustments to ensure the chair is right for you.

Wherever possible the handover appointment will be arranged to coincide with delivery of your chair.

Please note: for your safety it is essential that you DO NOT use the chair until the handover visit has taken place.

If your chair requires a repair, please contact the regional repair service as detailed below:

Name - Ross Care

Contact Number – 0191 4155151

If you feel your chair is no longer suitable for your needs, please contact Wheelchair Services on 0191 282 8958.

If you, or a person you support no longer needs their wheelchair please call Wheelchair Services to arrange for it to be collected.

If the chair is a powered model please call Ross Care, our approved regional repair service, and they will arrange collection.

If you need to re-arrange or cancel your appointment please let us know at least 48 hours beforehand. This allows us to offer it to someone else.

If you fail to attend your appointment without notifying the service, then this will result in your discharge from the service. You will require a referral from a healthcare professional to re-access the service.

If at any time, you have concerns or queries please speak to the Wheelchair Therapist or member of staff involved in your care.

If you feel that your concerns have still not been addressed please ask to speak to the Clinical Lead.

Sam's story

Sean's story

Job opportunities

We are currently recruiting for more people to join our Northumbria Wheelchair Service team - this is an exciting opportunity to be part of one of the country’s top performing NHS trusts.

Latest vacancies:

Vacancies will appear here when they are live.