NICCY tackle wheelchair waiting times

The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, Barney McNeany, today welcomed the Whizzkids and Barnardo’s report on the problems children face when they need wheelchairs.

The Commissioner warned that urgent action needed to be taken in order to prevent children from facing increasing difficulties in accessing wheelchairs when they need them.

Mr McNeany said that NICCY has received a number of complaints from children about the length of time they have to wait for a wheelchair and they are also concerned that the wheelchairs themselves are not always suitable for the use of young people.

He continued: “The tragedy is that too often children and young people wait so long for a wheelchair that their condition has deteriorated, and any benefit they may have received from a wheelchair is lost.”

Mr McNeany said that today’s report from Barnardo’s and Whizzkids was an important step to increase the pressure for change.

The Commissioner also encouraged children and young people, or their parents or carers, to contact his office if they have a complaint about the services they receive or the way they have been treated.

The NICCY office can be reached on 028 9031 1616 or by logging onto the website on www.niccy.org.

(EF/SP)