North West Surrey Wheelchair Service is on the move.    The service which has been based at St. Peter’s Hospital, Chertseysince the mid 1980s moves to Woking Community Hospital at the end of March 2008.   The move to Woking should make the service more accessible to local people with better public transport links and convenient town centre location.

The Wheelchair Service works across all care groups and ages to provide suitable wheelchairs, posture and pressure relief for all those people with a permanent condition that impairs their ability to walk.   Wheelchairs are repaired in a responsive, rapid and effective manner through a maintenance contract.  A new contract which covers the North West, South West and East Surrey Wheelchair Services has been awarded to AJ Mobility and commences on 1st April 2008.  From 1st April the Service will be managed by Surrey Community Health Services (the provider arm of Surrey Primary Care Trust)

Julie Callin, Lead for Acute Therapies and Rehabilitation, at Surrey Community Health Services says: “We’ve discussed the move with a number of wheelchair service users through the Surrey Coalition of Disabled People and the North West Surrey Association of Disabled People.   Both parking and public transport links are better at Woking Community Hospital and we hope that this will make it easier for service users even though some will have to travel slightly further.”

The Wheelchair Service will move into what was the formerly the Renal Unit at Woking Community Hospital.  Julie continues: “The area we are using at the Community Hospital has been adapted to our needs.  It will provide a pleasant community base for a service which is there for the community.  It will be far better than the 1940s hutted accommodation we are currently in.”

The move is part of an ongoing development programme for wheelchair services across Surrey and Surrey Community Health Services are working to develop improved capacity, support demand management schemes and deliver overall efficiencies.  Service Users have been engaged in the move of the service and have provided valuable input into the new Surrey wide wheelchair maintenance contract and will be involved in further service developments.

Cliff Bush OBE, Chair of North West Surrey Association of Disabled People and Surrey Patient and Public Involvement Forum Chair believes: “that the move to Woking Community Hospital will provide innovation and enhance community services as well as provide a better environment for people who are wheelchair users. Speaking to users, they whole heartedly support the move”.

The new service opens on Tuesday 1st April 2008 and will be fully operational from 7th April at  Woking Community Hospital,Heathside Road, Woking GU22 7HS.  The new telephone number is 01483-846409.

Ian Mackenzie, Director of Performance, Information and Facilities at Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals said: “Whilst we will be sorry to see our colleagues in the Wheelchair Service leave the St. Peter’s Hospitals site, the accommodation available at Woking Community Hospital is of a higher standard and more accessible.  This will benefit both service users and staff.   The move of the wheelchair service also enables us to demolish another part of the old second world war buildings and create additional car parking space.”