#

 

 

 

Petition number: P-05-817 Petition title: Specialist prosthetics for child amputees Text of petition: We call on the National Assembly for Wales to urge the Welsh Government to ensure that funding is in place to enable each child amputee in Wales to have access to a specialist sports prosthetic. We welcome the news that Westminster have made a further £1.5 million available to develop specialist prosthetics for young amputees in England. We ask that the same level of support be made available to children and young people living in Wales, so that any child or young person who would benefit from having a specialist sports prosthetic is able to have one made by the NHS.

 

Background

In the March 2016 Budget, the UK Government made a commitment for a £1.5 million investment into child prosthetics. The funding from the Department of Health was to be rolled out over 2016/17 and 2017/18, and has since been extended for another two years.

The fund for children across England who have either been born without a limb or who have lost a limb, is being used to pay for specialised sports prostheses from the NHS to help children run, swim or play sport.

This fund, known as the children’s activity prosthetic fund is split between funding for NHS limb centres across England to fund requests for prosthetics and investment in a Child Prosthetics Research Collaboration (funded through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)), bringing the latest technology into the NHS.

The fund has been widely welcomed as a positive step in supporting children to participate in sport, and to participate fully in school PE and community activities. The eligibility criteria and funding application for children’s sports prostheses in England can be found here.

Funding for specialist prosthetics for child amputees in Wales

There is no dedicated funding for children’s sports and activity prostheses on the Welsh NHS.

In Wales, NHS Prosthetic and Amputee Rehabilitation Services are delivered in-house by three specialist Artificial Limb and Appliance Centres (ALAC) located in Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham. The service is centrally commissioned by the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee (WHSSC) on behalf of the seven Local Health Boards in Wales.

WHSSC’s Specialist Service Policy, ‘Specialised Services Service Specification: CP89 Prosthetic and Amputee Rehabilitation Services’ states:

Provision of a Recreational Upper Limb for a Child Definition

A prosthetic solution that is provided to meet a specific need of the developing child. Examples could be a prosthesis specially manufactured to enable a child to ride a cycle safely etc

Criteria for provision

- To facilitate the child’s participation in school activities - To support the child’s clinical & psychological development

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every effort is made to ensure that the information contained in this briefing is correct at the time of publication. Readers should be aware that these briefings are not necessarily updated or otherwise amended to reflect subsequent changes.