Long wait times for wheelchair users in southern Tasmania

THE long wait for a wheelchair in southern Tasmania is leaving some people with disabilities in pain, advocates say.

Alexis Downie, aged 3, has spinal muscular atrophy, which means she has no mobility at all and is waiting for a motorised wheelchair. Her family raised the funds for the wheelchair but there's a long wait for appointments in the seating clinic, the public clinic required to fit the chair. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

THE long wait for a wheelchair in southern Tasmania is leaving some people with disabilities in pain, advocates say.

The Tasmanian Health Service has citied the transition to the National Disability Insurance Scheme and difficulty recruiting highly specialised staff as reasons for the delays.

Three-year-old Alexis Downie, who has spinal muscular atrophy, is one of those facing a long wait for a motorised wheelchair.

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Alexis’s mother Kristi Deakin, of Bridgewater, said her daughter was diagnosed in March last year and waited until September for an appointment with a specialist.

At that time she was provided with a temporary wheelchair. Muscular Dystrophy Tasmania has raised $20,000 for a motorised wheelchair for Alexis.

Once the wheelchair arrives more appointments will be needed for it to be fitted and the family has no timeline for when the process will be finalised.

“It’s quite frustrating, it’s equipment she needs now, for her own independence and mobility needs,” Miss Deakin said.

Three year old Alexis Downie, shown with her dad Peter Downie. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

“She can’t walk or weight-bear in any way, shape or form. She has no arm strength.

“Tasmania has horrible resources, there’s not enough equipment and I don’t believe there’s enough funding.”

Muscular Dystrophy Tasmania president Mick Peters said the wait time for wheelchair fitting appointments had blown out in recent years.

“I know there aren’t as many people working at the Seating Clinic as there used to be,” he said.

Independent Denison MP Andrew Wilkie said he had been contacted by constituents waiting long periods to get in to the Seating Clinic.

“This is another tragic dimension of our broken health system,” Mr Wilkie said.

“The under-resourcing of the Seating Clinic is a big part of the problem. But the delays are being made worse by the rollout of the NDIS making the process longer and more complicated. Staff and patients are drowning in paperwork.”

A spokesman for the Tasmanian Health Service said there were delays in the transition to the full NDIS.

“Orthotics Prosthetics Services Tasmania is a registered provider for the NDIS and as such is developing new business processes to accommodate these changes. As the scheme continues towards full roll out in 2019, OPST is working towards limiting any delays to clients,” the spokesman said.

“The provision of a customised and individualised wheelchair requires specialist input, ordering, supply, customisation, multiple fittings and adjustments to ensure it meets the client’s specific needs. Clients waiting for this service have their current chair maintained while their new chair is arriving.

“Recruitment of additional staff is under way. However, this is an extremely specialised field and recruitment can be challenging. Recruitment is in the final stages and is of a high priority for the THS.”