Colin HazeldenDerby political reporter
BBC
Neville Bradford is a double leg amputee waiting for a properly-fitted wheelchair
Two years after leaving hospital, double amputee Neville Bradford has said he is still waiting for a wheelchair that fits.
Neville, of Linton, in south Derbyshire, had both legs amputated in October 2023 due to peripheral arterial disease.
His two manual self-propelled wheelchairs – borrowed from Royal Derby Hospital – are “too big” and he is on a waiting list for an upgrade from NHS provider Blatchford Mobility, which was given the contract in April.
A spokesperson for the NHS Derby and Derbyshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) said Blatchford Mobility had made significant progress clearing an “inherited backlog”.
The ICB sincerely apologised to anyone who had waited longer than expected for a wheelchair.
“Almost half of those on the waiting list have now received their equipment, and we are working through plans that will support the remaining patients guided by clinical need,” it added.
Neville said he found it hard to push his borrowed wheelchairs
Neville, 59, said he had a week’s notice that he would lose both of his legs after he was diagnosed and spent more than three months in hospital recovering from surgery.
He relies on one wheelchair downstairs and one upstairs but going anywhere outside the house requires help from a carer.
“You can’t get momentum…your arms are not in the correct position to propel yourself anywhere…every wheelchair should be individually measured,” he said.
“You don’t understand this when you’re able-bodied – we really are being neglected. We have to fight for everything we get.”
In Derbyshire, AJM Healthcare previously allocated mobility equipment for the NHS before the contract went to Blatchford Mobility. Neville first applied for a custom wheelchair with the company after he left hospital in early 2024.
He said he was twice measured for the chair, but on both occasions, he was told afterwards the order had been cancelled. It is unclear why or how that happened.
Patients in Derbyshire have faced long waits for help to be mobile
A report in February 2024 from Healthwatch Derbyshire, found wheelchair users and carers had experienced long waiting times to receive wheelchairs and parts from AJM.
The BBC reported on the cases of Mylo, a teenager from Sandiacre, who needed a new power wheelchair, and a spinal injury patient called Rob Taylor from South Normanton.
Both had faced lengthy waits but have since received their wheelchairs. Mr Taylor received his a week after Blatchford Mobility took over and he said it was “transformational”.
Neville said he felt he had slipped through the system, and it meant he rarely left his house, except for weekly rehabilitation sessions.
“With my mental health, even just going to the local shop around the corner would make a massive difference,” he said.
“But, with this wheelchair, I would not get back up the ramp. With the active wheelchair, I would do.
“Often six days out of seven, 24 hours a day, I’m stuck in this house. And mentally, that is horrible.”
Neville said he could only use the ramp outside his home if he had help
The ramp at the front of Neville’s house allows carers and health staff to get him in and out of home but, even with a new wheelchair, the ramp would need some adaption.
Neville said that was because when the ramp was installed six months ago, nothing was done about the high threshold of his front door, and he could not safely get over it without help.
“It’s crazy, it’s crazy,” he added. “Without help, I literally cannot get out of my front door, even to just sit on the top of my ramp and breathe in fresh air.”
He said he had been promised work to level the door threshold would be done sometime this month.
His case has been raised by Samantha Niblett, the MP for South Derbyshire, and Neville said he had been told he was back in the system with Blatchford Mobility.
AJM Mobility did not respond directly to Neville’s case. It had previously said it had passed four months’ supply of equipment to Blatchford Mobility and the company “had ample time and opportunity to manage cases and meet equipment requirements.”
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