Wheelchair stations
We are delighted to announce that Sheffield Teaching Hospitals’ Wheelchair Stations are now live and in use.
The stations themselves have been kindly funded by Sheffield Hospitals Charity, and house new wheelchairs which have been funded by the Trust.
Wheelchair Stations provide a dedicated space for storing wheelchairs at main entrances. The hospital sites are large, and many patients have mobility problems, making access to a wheelchair upon arrival vital for attending appointments.
Wheelchairs in the stations are fitted with a mechanism that allows them to be chained up and released using a £1 coin or trolley token in a similar way to supermarket trolley stations. It is hoped that this will encourage everyone to return their chairs to a station for the next patient to use. Patient appointment letters have been amended to include this information and a page on the Trust website is also in place so that patients can be prepared for their visit.
Should a patient arrive without a £1 coin or trolley token, they can be assisted by volunteers, porters or receptionists to release a chair.
The Sheffield Hospitals Charity has kindly funded this project as they recognise it will improve the experience for our patients; reducing stress by ensuring wheelchairs are readily available to access at the entrance to the hospital as they come in, and ensuring patients can get to their appointments comfortably and on time. It is expected that there will be long term positive improvements in experience for patients, visitors, volunteers and staff as a result of this initiative.
Wheelchair stations have been kindly funded by supporters of Sheffield Hospitals Charity
