The Wheelchair Service is based within the Occupational Therapy and Wheelchair Service.  It sits in the Personalisation Service within the People Directorate of Sunderland City Council.

The Wheelchair service is made up of a Team Manager and 4 Wheelchair Assessors. 

What do the Wheelchair Service do:

• Assess people who have presenting permanent mobility difficulty whatever their age or disability.

• Provide manual and powered wheelchairs to meet their identified need, free of charge.

• Assess for any additional postural or pressure relief requirements into the wheelchair.

• provide cushions, accessories and special seating systems to meet their identified need, free of charge.

• Work closely with the Regional Rehabilitation Engineering Service to address complex mobility needs

• Operate a Wheelchair voucher scheme to facilitate Customer "choice".

Criteria for access

• People who are registered with a Sunderland GP

• People who demonstrate evidence of a permanent and diagnosed medical condition or physical disability that gives rise to mobility difficulties which will be experiences for longer than a six month period

Targeted Services

Services are offered to all age groups and all disabilities that give rise to a mobility issue.

Specialist services

Assessment of:

• mobility

• posture

• pressure reduction

Provision of:

• non-standard buggies

• standard and non-standard manual wheelchairs

• powered wheelchairs

• standard and non-standard wheelchair cushions and accessories

• specialist seating into manual and powered wheelchairs