WHAT WE BRING

How can we help your service move forward?

Introduction to our services

We offer a service which is focussed on the clinical and lifestyle needs of our clients.

NRS Healthcare offers a seamless service for clients throughout the process, from referral, through the holistic assessment up to, and including ongoing maintenance of wheelchairs.

We support our service users and focus on their clinical and lifestyle needs every step of the way. Our trained teams will give recommendations if self-funding through a Personal wheelchair Budget, wheelchair handover and offer reviews when required.

Outsourcing your service to us will offer peace of mind that clients and service users will be supported throughout the time they require a wheelchair, whether that is 6 months or a lifetime.

We will ensure a single point of contact every time a client needs advice, support or assistance and will always focus on their needs.

Our wheelchair pathway

Our Services

CLINICAL ASSESSMENTS

New clients can be referred for clinical assessment by a variety of Health and Social Care professionals including their GP. We work with Commissioners to raise awareness of the referral process with all groups who may use the service.

We take the holistic client centred approach in the production of our referral, assessment and prescription journey, having co-produced our processes and procedures with service users. Therefore, the questions asked are relevant to achieving a successful outcome as they benefit from the knowledge and experience of those who have lived with mobility issues. Our way of working help ensure everyone’s needs are recognised, met and recorded.

We have reduced waiting times in our contracts in Hull, East Riding and Vale of York by introducing a clinical triage service. This allows our clinical staff to identify high priority cases and fast track their assessment. For clients who have a non-complex wheelchair need we aim to have equipment directly issued, often immediately or within days of receipt of initial referral.

We help wheelchair users achieve their desired outcomes as well as meeting their clinical need. We use the Watch Ad Outcome measure tool at initial assessment and again after the client has had their wheelchair for some weeks, comparing the individuals desired outcomes with those achieved.

WHEELCHAIR ASSESSMENT STAFF

All our clinicians are qualified HCPC registered Physiotherapists or Occupational Therapists. We also employ Rehabilitation Engineers and Technical support staff.

Understanding the clinical and lifestyle needs of the individual and their families is considered paramount to the whole wheelchair assessment, prescription and supply. Our approach is completely client-centred, and this is reflected in the way our staff interact with our wheelchair users and their families. All staff receive comprehensive training which includes, disability awareness training, communications skills training and dementia training to ensure they have empathy and understanding when dealing with wheelchair users, their families and carers.

We have access to translation services for those whose first language is not English and we offer support to those with communication and multi-sensory needs.

EXPERIENCE OF STANDARD & SPECIAL-ORDER WHEELCHAIRS

We work with Commissioners to agree a list of equipment which can be prescribed and issued to wheelchair users so that they receive the right equipment as quickly as possible.

Because we have carried out an holistic assessment of clinical and lifestyle needs, we also work with other Health and Social Care professionals to integrate related services and solutions such as community equipment, Augmented Alternative Communication (AAC) aids and devices and environmental control system with wheelchairs. Our aim is to improve outcomes for the whole health and social care economies to reduce the inconvenience of re-assessment for wheelchair users and also reduce the need for separate costly assessments.

HANDOVER

Our clinicians agree the best handover arrangements with clients during their assessment. We keep in regular contact about the progress of their order and arrange the handover as soon as possible in the most appropriate location (which could be in clinic or in their home).

PERSONAL WHEELCHAIR BUDGETS

PWB’s now form part of our core service and we offer help, advice and support to Commissioners and service users too - you can see more information about this on our Personal Wheelchair Budget pages

CLIENT REVIEWS

During their assessment we always agree a review date with the client. This could take the form of a telephone call, an online survey or a follow up visit to a clinic, in addition to the regular servicing/maintenance of equipment.

If a chair no longer meets needs, clients, their families or carers can self-refer at any time. Our clinical staff are always available to discuss any changing needs the wheelchair user may have.

MANAGING THE SERVICE

Our delivery of both the clinical and operational management of Wheelchair Services has given us experience in building effective, high quality and yet affordable services at times when budgets are under pressure.

We work closely with commissioners prior to the contract starting, adopting a partnership approach to service delivery, allowing us to tailor your service to meet your required outcomes.

We forecast trends and provide clear activity data to deliver effective demand management so that we use wheelchair stock and staffing resources effectively and efficiently. We work collaboratively with all our partners to reach sensible and achievable solutions. This means often having open discussions so that all parties are clear about the objectives to be achieved whilst remaining within budgetary constraints.

APPROVED REPAIR

Our integrated service provides full wheelchair repair and maintenance service at home or in a place more convenient for the client including work or school. We offer the option of out of normal working hours (evening or weekend appointments) to help people live normal lives and in cases where the repair is urgent.

All calls are triaged by a Customer Service Agent and many questions are resolved over the phone reducing the inconvenience of a repair visit to a client. This triage and resolution helps inform the engineers who will attend as quickly as possible where emergency call-outs are required.

We know from experience which are the most common parts of the wheelchair that need repair or replacement on a wide-range of wheelchair makes and models. Wherever possible, our engineers carry these items along with diagnostic equipment and suitable tolls, allowing them to complete a large proportion of repairs in the first appointment.

Where we can’t repair the wheelchair, we will issue a temporary replacement for the client. Where a temporary replacement is provided we will endeavour to provide a chair as close as possible in specification to the existing chair and to make the loan period as short as possible.

SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE

Clients want their chairs to be regularly maintained, reducing need for repairs and saving money in the long run.

We will carry our maintenance at the right time for the equipment and at a convenient time and place.

Our engineers carry a comprehensive range of spares so they can carry out maintenance and repair work on wheelchairs at the appointment, reducing the chance that people will be without a chair or have to work with a replacement.

What our service brings to wheelchair users

Our clinically-led approach automatically makes us focused on the needs and aspirations of our clients at the same time as helping you manage your budgets.

Find out more