The National Health Service is one of the publicly funded health care institutes in the United Kingdom.
This organisation funds the local health authorities for the health care related needs in that locality.
The NHS wheelchair service program by this organisation offers free wheelchairs to the disabled persons who cannot afford them.
One can obtain free wheelchairs from the local authorities that are completely or partially funded by the NHS.
The procedure involved is time consuming and may often take several months to know that one is entitled to such service.
The services offered by these local authorities may be different from the other ones.
The stages in the procedure of acquiring the device may have a referral system, followed by an assessment and then the delivery of the equipment.
The time consumed by each organisation for the completion of procedure may vary for each locality.
The first step is to get a reference by the physician or the doctor or any therapist visited regularly by the person.
The referral letter must contain recommendation emphasising the need to use the wheelchair.
There is also option for the self-referral system.
Contacting the local NHS service centre might help to get details on the self-referral systems.
The assessment of the necessity might take place anywhere between 3 to 6 months.
The time span may also vary depending on the localities and their reputations.
The assessment is generally done at an NHS service centre.
Hence a pre-planned arrangement must be made ready for the visit to the centre.
The traveling problems that arise with the transport can be handled by making use of little help from the local social service authorities.
At the centre, a professional health caretaker will assess the needs of the type of wheelchair depending on the activities involved in your daily life.
After the assessment part is done with, it is decided if the person is qualified for free equipment or a part funded one.
The options of the funds allocated are discussed with the person and final decision about funding is reached.
If a custom wheelchair has to be developed for this purpose, then the delivery of the equipment may take several months.
Generally, the standard wheelchairs take some months to arrive, but the custom ones are often delayed.
There are cases, when after a long wait for the assessment to take place, the person is communicated that he/she is not entitled for the free wheelchair service.
Hence getting the documents right is very important for this service utilization.