The Newlife campaigning and public affairs team had a busy 2025, right up until the end of the year which included assisting Parliamentarians on a House of Lords debate which examined the Government’s plans to publish a strategy for wheelchair provision.

Newlife Campaigns and Public Affairs team engaged with Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, who tabled the debate and opened the discussion by highlighting the long-standing systemic issues within wheelchair and community equipment provision.

A wide range of issues were discussed, including service fragmentation, delays in assessments and repairs, unsuitable equipment, lack of national oversight, supply chain vulnerabilities, and the human impact on independence and dignity. These issues were also highlighted in the recent report Barriers to Accessing Lifesaving Disability Equipment by the APPG for Disability Equipment.

Newlife’s Campaigns and Public Affairs Manager Ceara Chamberlin said: “Many of the issues parents and carers of children with disabilities deal with were discussed, from fragmentation and postcode lottery to employment and economic impact. Peers highlighted significant inconsistencies in wheelchair and community equipment provision across England. Lord Hunt also noted that services are inconsistent and under-resourced and that each Local Authority and Integrated Care Board operates differently leaving service provision a postcode lottery.

“To showcase the real-life impact of delays and bureaucratic barriers, Lord Harries shared Rhys Porter’s story, a teenage boy who has cerebral palsy and went without essential equipment, including a hoist and home adaptations for two years. When Rhys needed essential surgery to reset his hips and femurs, it could not go ahead safely without the right equipment at home. Newlife were able to provide a portable hoist which allows Rhys’ surgery to go ahead.

“Several Peers highlighted how wheelchair and equipment provision impacts employment and that many disabled people cannot access or sustain work without the right equipment.

“During the debate Lord Rennard contributed that there was a need to address balancing the costs of the provision of wheelchairs and community equipment with long‑term benefits including preventing accidents, reducing the need for health care intervention in future, enabling people with disabilities to work, pay taxes, and reduce their dependency on benefits, whilst at the same time significantly increasing emotional wellbeing for many families.

“Peers from across the House called for a national strategy to tackle inconsistency, update equipment provision, strengthen commissioning, and establish clearer lines of accountability. Proposals included stronger national leadership and oversight, consistent eligibility and quality standards, a move away from lowest-cost purchasing towards value-based procurement, and sustained investment to modernise services and reduce system fragility.

“However, responding on behalf of the UK Government, Baroness Merron recognised the issues raised but stressed that responsibility for commissioning wheelchair and community equipment services sits primarily with integrated care boards and local authorities.

“She confirmed that there are no plans to publish a national wheelchair strategy, instead highlighting existing mechanisms such as the Wheelchair Quality Framework, the NHS 10-year health plan and Personal Wheelchair Budgets, which are intended to drive improvement at a local level.

“At Newlife we will, of course, keep campaigning on these issues and will keep you informed of any progress that will help families. In the meantime, we would urge anyone facing equipment difficulties for their disabled child to contact Newlife.”

Newlife’s contacts can be found here.