Harrogate boy's wheelchair dream dashed

A boy suffering from a life-limiting neurological condition has been left 'devastated' after his hopes of a promised self-propelling wheelchair were dashed.
Five-year-old Felix with his mum, Sarah.Five-year-old Felix with his mum, Sarah.
Five-year-old Felix with his mum, Sarah.

Five-year-old Felix Williams, who is unable to crawl or walk, picked out his wheelchair during an assessment at Harrogate Wheelchair Services eight weeks ago.

But the youngster and his mum, Sarah, were crushed to learn last week that the £3,000 chair would no longer be provided by the NHS due to the privatisation of the company.

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In a letter, the company explained to Sarah that Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust had decided not bid again for the service when their contract expired in April.

Sarah said: “Felix has an undiagnosed life-limiting condition, he can’t crawl or walk so every day is a huge challenge. The wheelchair he currently has just looks like a buggy. He has just turned five and lots of the children at his school are calling him a baby because of it.”

The NHS Vale of York CCG will take over the new £23m service from December 1 and Sarah has been told they are no longer a priority because of Felix’s existing chair.

Sarah, of Harrogate, said: “Felix likes to think of himself as a normal boy but the only problem is that his legs don’t work properly. He can’t do normal things by himself in a push chair.”

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Dr Ros Tolcher, Chief Executive of the Trust, explained that they would not have been able to provide the desired level of service with the funding available. She said: “It is extremely regrettable that people who have been assessed as requiring wheelchairs are experiencing delays due to the funding constraints placed upon the Trust.

“I would like to apologise to Felix and his family for the delay in providing his chair. We are continuing to work with commissioners to try and alleviate this position.”