BHTA Launch New Campaign - Failing Disabled Children Across the UK

The British Healthcare Trades Association are launching a new campaigning aimed at improving equipment provision for disabled children

Supporting the health and wellbeing of up to 1 million disabled children has to be a priority of the health service, social services and local authorities.  From a humanitarian point of view we cannot allow children to use equipment which is not suitable and causes them secondary complications.

With pressure on healthcare budgets, the correct equipment provision can prevent children from having to undergo secondary complications and together we can prevent these complications and negate the costs of intervening.

"In accordance with the Children’s Act (1989) CCG’s and Local Authorities have a statutory obligation to make provision for equipment prescribed to disabled children”.  So why is this not happening ?

“Newlife Charity reported in 2012 that more than three-quarters of the front-line professional – nurses, occupational therapists and physiotherapists – who contacted them felt there was no point in applying to local statutory services for funding for equipment before applying to charities like Newlife”. (From the Front Line –Report Summer 2012)

The BHTA  report suggests that the cost of treatment for disabled children made up of both medical costs and spending on equipment was just under £1.9 billion in 2013.  The vast majority of this spending (around £1.6 billion) was spent on medical care, whereas only £200 million was spent on equipment.  The report illustrates that proper provision of equipment can reduce and sometimes eliminate the need for costly interventions.

Without the charitable sector many products to support disabled children, their parents, extended families and carers would not be provided.

What can you do to help?

• Raise awareness - in less than 30 seconds, you could copy and paste the following text into your Twitter feed and raise awareness for disabled children, parents and carers within your catchment area.

BHTA Launch Awareness #FailingDisabledChildrenacrosstheUK  #MakingTheRightDecisions  #RT http://bit.ly/2cjn4pJ

• Read the BHTA 2016 update and the full report 'The economic benefits of better provision of equipment for disbled and teminally ill children' 

The Campaign

BHTA hope to be engaging with Members of Parliament, Clinical Commissioning Groups, Healthcare Watch Groups, Paediatric Healthcare Professionals, Charities and other interested groups.

They are trying to find examples of good practice that can be showcased as the way forward for provision of children’s equipment?  

If you have any comments to make, or would like to be kept informed on this paper and the issues raised in it, please email: sally.edgington@bhta.com