Health · England
Getting a wheelchair assessment
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This guide is for people in England.
A wheelchair might help you move around.
Ask your GP or therapist about a wheelchair assessment.
Local NHS services have rules about who can get equipment.
Tell the team where you want to go.
Tell them what you want to do.
The team should consider your comfort and posture.
Posture means how your body is positioned.
There are different kinds of wheelchair.
Ask which options could meet your needs.
Tell the team how you communicate.
Ask how your communication aid can work with your wheelchair.
You may be able to have a personal wheelchair budget.
This does not usually mean money paid directly to you.
Ask someone to show you how to use the wheelchair safely.
Your supporters may need training too.
Ask who repairs the wheelchair.
Contact the service if it hurts or no longer fits your needs.
What you can do next
Please help me get a wheelchair assessment.
Please explain my choices and the support available.
Read the NHS wheelchair guide Web pageThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- NHS wheelchair information Web page
How to ask for an assessment.
- Personal wheelchair budgets Web page
Information about choice and the eligibility rules.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Wheelchairs and getting an assessment
Find out about assessment, seating, wheelchair choices and ongoing support.
Children and adults · England · Local eligibility rules apply
Getting an assessment
If walking is difficult or a wheelchair could help with daily mobility, ask a GP, physiotherapist, occupational therapist or hospital team about referral. Some wheelchair services also accept self-referrals. Check the local NHS service or integrated care board. Local eligibility rules vary, and a referral does not guarantee a particular wheelchair. Existing users can ask their service how to request a review.
Explain the whole of your life
Describe where you need to go, how you travel, and what you want to do at home, school, college, work and in the community. Explain fatigue, pain, help from supporters and any difficulties with your current chair. Ask for communication support and suitable appointment arrangements. Bring relevant plans and information about the spaces in which the wheelchair will be used.
Seating, posture and control
The team may assess posture, movement, comfort, pressure relief and the support needed for your body. Discuss cushions, seating and any specialist adjustments. A manual or powered wheelchair may be considered according to individual needs, safe use and service criteria. Ask how controls, communication equipment and other aids can work together. Neither a diagnosis nor a product advertisement tells you which chair will meet someone's needs.
NHS provision and personal wheelchair budgets
NHS wheelchair services often provide equipment on loan; ask who owns it and what the agreement covers. Eligible people can have a personal wheelchair budget when a chair is needed or replaced under the relevant rules. This should involve a personalised assessment and discussion of goals and available options. It does not promise an unlimited budget or every model on sale.
Understand the funding agreement
A notional budget means the NHS arranges the wheelchair rather than paying money to you. Other agreed arrangements may offer different choices. Direct cash payments are not routinely available for a standalone personal wheelchair budget. Before agreeing optional extras or an outside supplier, ask for the budget, any contribution, clinical approval, ownership and repair responsibilities in writing. Do not assume a purchase made before agreement will be reimbursed.
Fitting, training and continuing support
Ask for a proper fitting and practical instruction for you and anyone assisting you. Confirm how to contact repairs, what to do if the chair cannot be used and how to request reassessment. Tell the service about pain, pressure problems, poor fit or changes in movement and daily activities. Connect the wheelchair plan with physiotherapy, postural care and communication support so the equipment works together.
Words you could use
“Please refer me for a wheelchair assessment. I would like my posture, comfort, communication access and everyday goals considered, with clear information about provision and repairs.”
More useful links
- NHS wheelchair information Web page
How to ask for an assessment.
- Personal wheelchair budgets Web page
Information about choice and the eligibility rules.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 27 October 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- NHS: walking aids and wheelchairs Web page
Referral routes, self-referral and assessment.
- Bolton NHS Foundation Trust: wheelchair service Web page
An England NHS example of assessment, seating, training and ongoing support.
- NHS England: personal wheelchair budgets Web page
Eligibility, personalised assessment and budget information.
- NHS England: personal wheelchair budget questions Web page
Budget options, clinical agreement, ownership and repairs.
- NHS: personal health and wheelchair budgets Web page
Notional budgets and limits on direct cash payments.
- NHS directory: Enfield wheelchair service Web page
A local example of wheelchair loans, handover and repair arrangements.