PATIENTS weighing more than 25 stone who have gone through weight-loss surgery will no longer be given powered wheelchairs by Bolton NHS.

From July 1, the town centre-based Wheelchair Service is placing restrictions on the number of people who can access the chairs it provides.

The new criteria, brought in by the Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group, could see more than a third of new patients losing out.

It includes restrictions on giving powered chairs for outdoor use to adult patients and providing electric chairs to weight-loss surgery patients weighing over 25 stone.

Nursing and care homes will also no longer be provided with chairs for transport and swimming pool visits, and will instead have to provide their own equipment, while chairs required for employment will have to be sought via the Government's 'access to work' scheme.

Mobile adult patients with behavioural issues will also be assessed on a case-by-case basis before being provided with a chair for outdoor use.

While children and young people will still be provided with chairs for access to education, in a study of April this year of the 152 referrals received by the service, the CCG expect 47 — approximately 41 per cent of referrals — to be affected by the changes.

Dr Barry Silvert, clinical director for commissioning at NHS Bolton CCG, said: "As our NHS comes under increasing pressure, NHS Bolton Clinical Commissioning Group must ensure that local funding is spent on those treatments and services that have the most benefit for Bolton people. In some cases, this will mean doing things differently.

"Following a detailed review, the CCG has made some changes to Bolton’s Wheelchair Service to ensure that those who have the greatest need receive the equipment they need, in a timely manner.

"The CCG has discussed these changes with interested groups within the local community. We received valuable feedback and suggestions, which were taken into account when making our final decision."

The service received 1,130 referrals over the last financial year and has a working contract value of £616,538.

It is hoped the new criteria, which only applies to newly referred patients and not current wheelchair users, will help focus resources for those most in need and cut down the waiting times for assessments for powered wheelchairs.

Adult and weight-loss patients who have been affected can still apply to access regular wheelchairs if they have a permanent or long term physical impairment or medical condition which seriously affects their mobility and require a chair for more than six months.

Weight loss patients over 25 stone can also apply for a powered chair through an Individual Funding Request (IFR).

The proposals follow a review of the service which compared it to eight neighbouring CCG bodies, including Salford, South Manchester, Leeds and Wigan, and a consultation exercise via the Equality Target Action Group (ETAG) and watchdog body Healthwatch.

It found that Bolton was the only CCG providing adults with powered chairs for outdoor use only and for employment, while only a limited number where providing the other services.

ETAG advises NHS Bolton CCG on equality and diversity issues relevant to them, but said it was not yet sure what the impact of the changes would be on service users.

Policy engagement manager, Louise McDade, said: "We welcome the CCG engaging with us on this.

"We don't know yet what the impact could be. We will just have to see what happens as a results of the changes."

Greater Manchester-based charity, Disabled Living which provides impartial information about equipment and services for disabled adults, children, older people and the professionals who support them.

Senior manager Carmel Hourigan said funding for services such as wheelchairs continued to be a major concern as local authorities were forced to make cuts, but the charity was taking "a proactive approach" to offer advice and signpost people to organisations that might be able to offer alternative funding streams for equipment, respite and other services.

The Bolton Wheelchair Service is based at Lever Chambers Centre for Health, and consists of occupational therapists, physiotherapists and support workers who provide clinical and physical assessments for referrals through a GP and provide manual or powered wheelchairs to meet patient needs.