INTRODUCTION
The Scottish Executive commissioned the Independent Review of NHS wheelchair and seating services in Scotland as a direct result of the Petition to Parliament (PE798) by the late Margaret Scott in December 2004. Following the review, in June 2006 the report, Moving Forward: Review of NHS Wheelchair and Seating Services in Scotland, was published. It made 40 recommendations for improvements in the delivery of NHS wheelchair and seating services.
The Scottish Executive welcomed the Review as a comprehensive critique of existing services from the viewpoint of users and carers, although it noted that those recommendations with significant additional financial implications would require to be considered as part of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.
In March 2007 the Scottish Executive announced that £1 million additional interim funding would be made available to the wheelchair services for 2007-08, to build on the improvements already made in reducing waiting times as a result of the £1.9 million interim funding provided in 2005-06. It was agreed that some of this money would be used to establish the Wheelchair and Seating Services Project Board (WSSPB), as recommended in the review, and to appoint a Project Manager.
In November 2007, John Swinney, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, announced the outcome of the Spending Review. This provides wheelchair and seating services with an additional £4 million in 2008-09, £6 million in 2009-10 and £6 million in 2010-11. The funds will be released by the Project Board following approval of robust, transparent and fully costed business cases from the five Wheelchair and Seating Centres in Scotland, setting out the proposals that are most beneficial to the majority of users and carers that access their services.