Freedom of Information Request: FOI 0407
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) completed a merger by acquisition of Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT) on 1st April 2018. UHB includes Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Solihull Hospital and Community Services, Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham Chest Clinic.
For the purposes of this request we have answered on behalf of the whole Trust.
I am requesting the following information under the Freedom of Information Act. Please note that a differently structured request has been sent to CCGs on this subject; early responses from CCGs have referred me to Trusts. Therefore please do not refer me to CCGs unless for specific questions where only the CCG holds the requested information.
1. Is the Trust a provider of NHS Wheelchair Services?
No
If the answer to question 1 is “No”, the Trust need not respond to the remainder of this request. If the answer to question 1 is “Yes”, please respond to question 2.
For the remaining questions of this request, if the Trust provides NHS Wheelchair Services under different contracts, please list the requested information for each contract.
2. The name of the CCGs for which the Trust provides NHS Wheelchair Services; when it started providing this service; and when its current contract(s) ends
3. The current eligibility criteria for receiving NHS-funded wheelchairs via the NHS Wheelchair Services provided by the Trust
4. A list of all changes to the eligibility criteria for receiving NHS-funded wheelchairs via the NHS Wheelchair Services provided by the Trust, if those changes were implemented after April 1st 2015; please state not just the new criteria in each case, but also the old criteria that was altered by the change (e.g. ‘inability to walk 20m unaided’ replacing ‘inability to walk 40m unaided’)
5. For each change listed in response to question 4, please provide details of any public consultation that was carried out on the change; whether any measures to publicise the consultation were undertaken beyond posting it online; and what responses were received to any such consultation
6. A list of any changes to the eligibility criteria for receiving NHS-funded wheelchairs via the NHS Wheelchair Services provided by the Trust area that are currently being considered, proposed or consulted on.
