Shropshire Wheelchair and Posture Service 2015-05-22 Person 1 5 0

I have been to SWS many times And every time I have come away angry and upset by their treatment of me and my daughter, My 10 year old daughter has global developmental delay and low muscle tone which means she can't walk or talk, but she can sit unaided so doesn't need postural support. When she was 3 we went for an assessment and were offered the ugliest most cumbersome wheelchair ever seen so we decided to have a voucher and got her a buggy (alvema Ito) which was fantastic. After having it for 3 years I rang SWS and was told I would be sent an appointment within 3 months I waited for 4 months then rang them again to be told they had no record of my call and that I would be sent an appointment within 3 months so again I waited but still no appointment so again I rang and was told I would be put on the list for a cancellation and a few days later I got an appointment, Again when we went we were treated very poorly by the staff they didn't listen to my daughters needs and said because she doesn't need postural support she only needed a basic wheelchair (Invacare action junior) I asked for a seat cushion but was told she didn't need it, I asked for a headrest as my daughter travels on the bus home from school everyday and should be provided with one but was told that it was transport that should provide it, I asked for a chest harness as my daughter likes to lean out and reach for things and was told they wouldn't give me one as it would be cruel to stop her development. I was told the chair would be ordered and they would tell me when it was in stock. 3 months later I had a letter to tell me the chair had arrived and they had booked an appointment for a month later, At this point my daughters buggy was 4 years old and had been used every day as it was her only means of getting around outside, A week later my daughters buggy broke and it couldn't be fixed, I rang SWS to ask if I could get her new wheelchair as without her wheelchair she was housebound and couldn't get to school or go out, a 7 year old is too big to carry anywhere. They told me they don't do emergency appointments and I would have to wait another 3 weeks till my appointment even after I explained that she be a prisoner in her own home, they really didn't care. I was so upset that I had to put the phone down, after having a good cry and calming down I rang again and told them I was coming to get it which they only agreed to if I signed to say that it hadn't been set up for my daughter and any problems with the fit were my responsibility which I had no choice but to agree with. 3 weeks after we got the chair I had to ring SWS to ask for a seat cushion, chest strap and headrest which took 3 months to get another appointment at which time they drilled into the frame of the wheelchair to fix a lap strap to act as a chest harness this was completely unsuitable but SWS thought this was fine. I was so disgusted with my daughters treatment and complete lack of care and understanding of all the staff at SWS that I asked for a voucher to get something more suitable for my daughter, I had to have help from the New Life charity with getting a suitable wheelchair and couldn't be happier with her chunk 45. I dread the day I have to got back to SWS, I've had to deal with them for 13 years and in all that time the staff have been uncaring, unapproachable, unprofessional and shown a complete lack of empathy towards the people they are supposed to be helping.