If you use a portable hoist for your child, who paid for it?

[moondog]

Strikes me as pretty much an essential piece of kit for a child who uses a wheelchair.

[district12]

My very disabled brother had all sorts of equipment installed as a child. (bathroom hoist , special mattress, shower seat, etc. It was all paid for through social services and the OT department.

All of it is now old and getting broken but we have been told now (he is an adult now) that there is no funding for these things and that an OT will not even come out to see what he needs.

[2old2beamum]

The NHS funded DS's but he has got continueing health care plan

[moondog]

These aren't 'nice to haves' though. How can someone get out and about if they have no hoist?

[district12]

I agree, my brothers funding for his carer through the ILF is also being stopped soon. He wiil have no way of leaving the house and no way of being able to do the most basic things in his house either. It's disgraceful.

[district12]

I do think that OT departments still have to provide these things for children though ,or so I thought.

[infamouspoo]

social services OT dept paid first for portable hoists but now we have ceiling tracks and hoists in living room, dining room and bedroom/bathroom. Those dont get in the way.

[moondog]

Thanks for replies.
Anyone know of any legislation that would show that public funding for this is mandatory?

[bigbluebus]

The very 1st hoist we had was a mobile hoist and it came from the NHS Loan stores for the county.
We then had an extension built for DD - which we funded ourselves as it was before means testing of parents was abolished for DFGs. We had a ceiling track hoist installed from bedroom to bathroom - which we managed to get funded through the OT from the Disabled Childrens team - but we had to prove we didn't have more than £8000 in savings - which having just forked out an arm and a leg for an extension - we didn't.

Subsequently we managed to get DFG funding for a further ceiling track hoist for the playroom so we could get rid of the mobile hoist. Interestingly our LA have just done a consultation of their adaptations policy and they say they will no longer fund ceiling track hoists as they are not mandatory under the DFG scheme.

We now have a portable mobile hoist so that we have something to take on holiday as it was becoming impossible to go away and visit Grandparents with DD. That was funded by a charity.

Mobile hoists are not very practical in most houses as there is rarely enough space to operate them, they are a hazard if you have small children and no organisation which has risk assessed the use of one would allow their employees to operate one for hoisting someone unless there are 2 members of staff - a luxury I don't have when I have to hoist DD by myself!

[bigbluebus]

Sorry moondog just seen your last post. I have just finished writing a letter to our LA regarding their proposals to no longer fund ceiling track hoists - amongst other things. Don't know about legislation regarding mobile hoists though. Will be watching with interest.

Don't suppose threatening to place the child in care is the sort of threat you want to use? That would cost the LA a lot more than a hoist!

[moondog]

Thanks all.
There must be some legislation that specifies provision of a hoist to let a family of a wheelchair user get out and about surely?

[bigbluebus]

moondog Are this family after a hoist that they can take out with them rather than use in the home? I assume they haven't been refused a hoist to enable the child to be able to get out of the wheelchair at home? If it is the former, then i think you will be hard pressed to get one supplied by a statutory body - ridiculous as it sounds that they won't facilitate someone being able to get out of their wheelchair when away from home .
We didn't even bother to ask the LA or NHS for ours. We applied to a charity for funding and were lucky to get in just before the funding crisis really hit and started to impact on charities, as public bodies tightened the purse strings.
I could PM you the name of the charity who funded ours so you can have a look at their website and see if they can help.I know they were closing their applications at one point but have just had a quick look at their website and it doesn't say it is closed, so probably worth a call.

[moondog]

Blue if you would that would be great. One at home yes, but who wants to bd confined to the house? Thanks.