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*Patients Needing Wheelchairs At Hospitals Must Now Pay Per Hour Per Use* *Wheelchairs are tracked throughout the hospital and users mobile phone number recorded* NHS hospitals in London have now introduced another form of Parking fees, but this time it is the first Wheelchair Parking fees scheme to be introduced in Hospitals A&E Departments and throughout the hospitals!
This scheme of forcing patients into hiring wheelchairs for their attendance at hospital, whether it be at A&E, at clinics or visiting patients; cuts down the need for porters and hence reduces staffing levels and improves profit for the Hospital trusts using the service. The company makes a big deal out of their 'caring for disabled patients - at a cost of course that profits them! They also track the use of the wheelchairs wherever it goes around the hospital, providing themselves and the Hospital with patient data, which identifies the user of the chair via their mobile phone number. Without having both a mobile phone, and a credit card, the mobility impaired patient cannot use the service, and is potentially denied access to the hospital! This is a mirror of the practice in Canadian and US hospitals where charging for the use of crutches, cost of plastering of limbs, and other items aiding a patient with mobility problems; is charged as and when the patient requires them, and prior to them leaving the hospital!
On-line newspaper, London Centric has revealed that at King’s College Hospital in Lambeth which has the country's worst A&E waiting times, patients who are unable to walk to A&E are directed to a wheelchair hiring dock, where wheelchairs can be unlocked using a credit card. While the first four hours are free, each additional hour costs £2, automatically charged to the user’s card. This is a significant issue, especially since some patients wait up to 12 hours to be seen in the hospital's A&E department, which has some of the longest wait times in the country. A patient's carer highlighted the situation, stating, "You can't call an ambulance because of the waiting times... There's literally a wheelchair shortage in a hospital." The service, which has also been introduced at Hillingdon Hospital in Uxbridge, is expected to expand across London as part of Wheelshare's broader business plans. In addition to these fees, Wheelshare has begun exploring branding opportunities, meaning wheelchairs could eventually display advertisements from corporate sponsors—though King's College Hospital has stated they will not allow advertising on their wheelchairs. Christine, a patient who spoke with London Centric, shared her experience, stating that while the system is efficient,
The hospital also argues that the charges can be refunded to patients because of extended wait times. However, the report by London Centric revealed that this refund option was not clearly advertised, and instead, patients were encouraged to make a donation when paying. Christine, a patient who had to pay for a wheelchair during a prolonged visit, highlighted the growing costs, noting that parking fees already contribute significantly to the expense of going to the hospital, saying the costs associated with visiting the hospital—like wheelchair hire and parking—make it increasingly expensive: "One year I probably spent a thousand pounds on parking." Parking fees across NHS trusts in England have soared, with £146 million collected in 2022 alone, raising concerns that the cumulative costs could deter people from seeking care or receiving support from visitors. NHS trusts saw their car parking profits jump by up to 60-fold in 2022 Will this be stopped by a Labour Health and Social Care Secretary who has just paid the private healthcare sector £1 Billion to allow the use of their hospitals by NHS patients in order, he claims, to use their spare capacity to help cut NHS waiting lists? Of course not as he is 100% committed to the involvement of the private sector in the 42 autonomous Integrated Care Systems which has replaced the NHS across England.
No one should have to pay for a wheelchair at an NHS hospital - we demand an end to hidden charges and proper funding Source: London Centric / Daily Telegraph / Wheelshare / 38 Degrees See also: No Increased NHS Funding, But Private Healthcare Sector Gets £1 Billion New Funding NHS Privatisation News Archive
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The scheme removes all free wheelchairs for the use of patients, and instead disabled patients, those unable to walk, or those with leg or or foot injuries, or simply unsteady on their feet charging patients by the hour for wheelchair use as part of a new service operated by the private healthcare company Wheelshare. 
King's College Hospital defended the rental system, explaining that the fees are designed to improve wheelchair availability and encourage returns. The hospital also stated that patients experiencing long waits can request refunds through Wheelshare, although no such refund option was advertised during London Centric’s visit. Instead, patients were prompted to make an additional donation to the NHS when settling their wheelchair bills.