Personal Budgets

Benefits
Decision Guide

Personal Budget is a sum of money your local council will pay towards your care and support needs. If you are eligible for help with any social care and support needs, you can request for a personal budget assessment from your local council.

Personal Wheelchair Budget (PWB), very similar to personal budget is a sum of money available for wheelchair users to support you with your choice of wheelchair. This is either commissioned by the NHS or through a contracted service. Wheelchair users will be able to use this when their wheelchair is due to be changes, either every 5 years, or less if the medical need changes.

The amount of money in your personal budget is decided by your local authority after an assessment that works out the type of care you need, what it will cost, and how much you are able to afford. The budget can also be part of a wider care plan for example Education, Health and Care (EHC).

For more information, you can contact BES Healthcare, or your local wheelchair service or dealer. We have a list of approved dealers where you can utilise your personal budget.

Feel free to get in touch on either email info@beshealthcare.net or call (0) 1179 666 761.

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How are Personal Wheelchair Budgets managed and made available?

1.Notional PWB

This is provided through the NHS where you (the user) will the available budget but it will be spent by the NHS for you. This will enable you to have the basic wheelchair which meets your needs and requirements. The chair belongs to the NHS.

2.Notional PWB with outside contribution

This is a combination of the Notional PWB and contributions made by the user to add extra equipment to their chair. The basic chair is paid through the Notional PWB, while the added features are paid by the user. The chair belongs to the NHS.

3.Third Party PWB

If the wheelchair team believe that this is the most suitable option available to you (user) and that a basic wheelchair is not clinically appropriate, then the user has the option to avail Third Party PWB. Here the user will be responsible for all repairs and maintenance. The amount of contribution is the cost the NHS would spend to provide a basic chair plus any extra needed to repair and maintain the chair. If the chair is more expensive than the PWB, then you (the user) will be responsible for covering the difference in cost. Charities and other organisations can support you with any extra costs.

Benefits

Person-centred care

This gives you the opportunity to build a framework around your care needs, and provides you, your carer and family the choice and control to select the right equipment.

Clarity of choice and budget

It gives you a better and clear idea of the choices available such as funding and equipment provision. You have the chance to understand your provision based on your needs, as a result can added extra through personal contribution or charity support.

Combine Provision with other care models

Knowing what budgets are available for you to use, you can then combine them with other care support from agencies, education, and health and social care budgets. It allows you to have a holistic support plan.

FAQs

Where can you redeem your voucher or personal budget?

If you qualify for the Third party PWB or even outside contribution, you can purchase additional extras from mobility dealers across the UK. A list of dealers in your area should be given to you by your wheelchair service or local authority so do ask.

If you would like to add secondary support supplied by established brands from BES such as Bodypoint, Stealth, Varilite, Shear Comfort etc., please ask your dealer, and they can work with us on supplying you with the right equipment through assessments and consultation. We can also work with your local dealer and provide a pressure mapping service. In addition, we have a list of approved dealers we already work with, who can provide you with the equipment you need.

Videos: Personal Budget

Dealer List for Personal Budget

England

www.ableworld.co.uk

About: Ableworld are the largest mobility retailer in the country and believe this is because we genuinely care about our customer’s well-being. We employ professional, caring and knowledgeable staff to work in our stores, and provide quality mobility aids at value for money prices. We pride ourselves on being an ethical trader who will not pressure sell items and if we feel a product should have an assessment we will not sell these online, as we want to ensure our customers that they are getting the right product for their needs, not just the most expensive mobility aid. To see the full list of Ableworld stores that accept Personal Budgets, please click here.

Contact Details:

Phone: 01270 627111

Email: support@ableworld.co.uk

www.bettermobility.co.uk

About: At Better Mobility we are dedicated to giving you the best experience possible. Our highly trained assessors are ready to make sure you have all the information you require to make an informed decision. With a huge range of demonstration equipment available, we are always able to offer you impartial views on what’s best for you/your patients. We are always refreshing our stock with the latest products, making sure you are able to see and try the best and most innovative products available.

Contact Details:

Phone: 0808 2959 909

Email: sales@bettermobility.co.uk

www.kentmobility.co.uk

About: Kent Mobility is a family-run, family-owned business in West Kent, based at the beautiful Bridge Farm in Tonbridge. It has been providing mobility and lifestyle solutions for over thirty years. An approved supplier for both the NHS and Social Services they also offer a wide range of equipment and products for the private buyer. Time has been taken to select only the best equipment and as a result Kent Mobility offer the most comprehensive range of manual and powered wheelchairs, scooters, wheelchair seating, ramp installation, and general mobility aids in the South East and Kent.

Contact Details:

Phone: 01732 770251

Email: info@kentmobility.co.uk

www.shiremobility.co.uk

About: At Shire, we believe that your independence is an expression of your personal freedom. When someone loses independence, they lose autonomy. This leads to unique threats to health and happiness that we believe are avoidable in the modern world. The small team of experts that makes up Shire Mobility has helped countless people find the solution to their personal independence challenges. We’re confident we can help you too.

Contact Details:

Phone:

Northampton store: 01604 580 600

Bicester store: 01869 253 976

Banbury store: 01295 252 722

Email: info@shiremobility.co.uk

Northern Ireland

www.healthcare21.eu

About: We supply world-class training for the world’s leading healthcare products and provide state-of-the-art distribution and logistics, and asset tracking with speed and accuracy in mind so our partners are always fully aware of their product’s journey in the supply chain and can rest assured delivery is safe, transparent and fully accountable. Healthcare 21 Group exists to improve and support healthcare outcomes and customer relationships through our partners’ innovative products, services and solutions.

Contact Details:

Phone: +44 (0) 28 2560 0406

Email: info@hc21.ie

www.syncliving.co.uk

About: Formed in 1994, Sync Living (formerly known as Disability Needs) supplies specialist products to support people with impaired mobility throughout Northern Ireland and Ireland via our Belfast and Dublin offices.

For getting out and about, we supply a wide range of mobility scooters, lightweight wheelchairs, powered wheelchairs and walking aids. Within the home, we supply and fit specialist bathrooms, beds and armchairs as well as stairlifts and general living aids.

Contact Details:

Phone: +44 (0)28 9074 5333

Email: sales@syncliving.co.uk

Scotland

www.johnpreston.co.uk

About: We are a leading supplier of mobility technology, electric wheelchairs, mobility scooters, lightweight wheelchairs, wheelchair power attachments, daily living aids, bathing and toileting aids, moving and handling and pressure care products throughout the UK and Ireland.

We offer a Nationwide Service in the UK and the Republic of Ireland with showrooms in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Contact Details:

Phone: 0800 328 4143

Email: marketing@johnpreston.co.uk

Republic of Ireland

www.healthcare21.eu

Contact Details:

Phone: +353 (0) 1404 8330

Email: info@hc21.ie

www.lcseating.ie

About: LC Seating, established in March 2008, was born as a response to an arising need to support special needs and physically disabled individuals. We operate throughout Ireland, primarily dealing with occupational therapy and seating clinics, to provide freedom and comfort with the many small and large challenges faced in daily life, through mobility seating options.

While competing against larger competitors with greater resources, the company has developed a solid niche through technical expertise and flexibility in meeting patient’s needs. As a result, in 2016, LC Seating achieved ISO 9001 registration. Also, thanks to the company’s extensive knowledge and contacts throughout the supply chain, the company now acts as an effective distributor of primary manufactured goods to a range of customers throughout NI, GB, and Portugal.

Contact Details:

Phone: +353 71 91 63905

Email: info@lcseating.ie

www.syncliving.co.uk

Contact Details:

Phone: +353 (01) 4523602

Email: sales@syncliving.co.uk