NHS England does not hold information on what mobility devices, including electrically powered wheelchairs, have been adopted for use by the National Health Service in the last five years.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchair services and NHS England supports ICBs to commission effective, efficient, and personalised wheelchair services through a range of policies and guidance, including the introduction of personal wheelchair budgets.

Responsibility for providing community equipment to disabled people typically falls to the NHS and local authorities. Local authorities have a statutory duty to make arrangements for the provision of community equipment for disabled people in their area. Types of support include equipment to enable people to live more independently, such as grab rails, walking aids, and wheelchairs for short-term use. Responsibility for managing the market for these services rests with local authorities.

Since July 2015, NHS England has collected quarterly data from clinical commissioning groups, now ICBs, on wheelchair provision, including waiting times, to enable targeted action if improvement is required.

NHS England is supporting ICBs to reduce regional variation in the quality and provision of NHS wheelchairs, and to reduce delays in people receiving timely intervention and wheelchair equipment. This includes publishing a Wheelchair Quality Framework on 9 April 2025, which sets out quality standards and statutory requirements for ICBs, such as offering personal wheelchair budgets. The framework is available at the NHS.UK website and applies to all NHS wheelchair services and provision, including electrically powered wheelchairs.

NHS England introduced personal wheelchair budgets, including legal rights in 2019, providing a clear framework for ICBs to commission personalised wheelchair services which are outcomes focused and integrated. Personal wheelchair budgets give people greater choice over the wheelchair provided.