Ombudsman raises concerns after rise in complaints about NHS wheelchair provider AJM Healthcare
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has contacted NHS wheelchair services provider AJM Healthcare to express its concerns following a sharp increase in complaints about the company.
Ombudsman Rebecca Hilsenrath took the unusual step of sending a letter to AJM Healthcare yesterday. In the letter, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) stated that it had seen a rise in complaints about AJM Healthcare which were related to people not receiving new wheelchairs or the correct parts, as well as delays to receiving equipment and poor communication. The waits range from a month to two years.
The letter, which was addressed to the CEO of AJM Healthcare, and seen by THIIS, Rebecca Hilsenrath states that since 2018, the Ombudsman received 67 complaints about AJM Healthcare. Over half of these (38 per cent) were made in 2023, and 12 have been made already this year.
Rebecca Hilsenrath stated in her letter that she hoped AJM Healthcare would take the time to investigate the cause of this increase and make any necessary changes to address customers’ concerns and improve the service that it provides.
The letter reads: “Most of the complaints related to people not receiving new wheelchairs or the correct parts. We have also received complaints about delays in receiving wheelchairs and parts, and poor communication.
“This includes a failure to respond to complaints. In one case, a customer was unable to make a complaint as the complaints team and head office said that they could not investigate the issue.”
The Ombudsman stated that it has been unable to look into these complaints about AJM Healthcare because patients had not been able to complete the company’s complaints process. Its own legislation expects complaints to have been considered by the service provider before it can investigate itself.
Stephen Peck, Managing Director of AJM Healthcare, has until 6 June 2024 to inform the Ombudsman of the steps his business will take to review this increase in complaints, its complaints processes, and the support that it offers to its customers.
Nick Goldup, Chief Operating Officer of The Wheelchair Alliance, a not-for-profit organisation which champions the needs of wheelchair users in England described access to wheelchair provision as a ‘postcode lottery’ for many.
He commented to THIIS: “The findings of two reports commissioned by The Wheelchair Alliance demonstrate a poor level of funding for wheelchair provision generally, something which must change.
“Our latest report, The Value of a Wheelchair, highlights three key areas of concern – that while wheelchair services in England are working hard, they are constrained by funding negatively impacting service users; that NHS provided wheelchair services should be subjected to more rigorous and mandated regulation and that the true scale of demand is not known.
“At present, the Government provides just £196 per person per year for wheelchair users which simply isn’t enough. The Value of a Wheelchair also shows that increasing spending on wheelchair services by £22 million each year could unlock benefits to society worth more than £60 million.
“We believe the Government should spend more and set minimum standards for the whole country. We also want to see local wheelchair providers working together more closely, linking up with social care to provide a more joined-up cohesive approach.”
