Published: 7th January 2017
From: Department of Health
The Department of Health has today confirmed that the NHS in England is supplying specialised prostheses to children born without limbs or who have lost limbs, helping them to become active.
The £1.5million fund was previously announced by Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt after the Paralympic games in Rio 2016. He believes this investment in children’s specialised sports prosthetics will enable the next generation of children suffering from limb loss to lead more active lives.
The fund is being divided between NHS limb centres and a Child Prostheses Research Collaboration which is intended to support research to bring the lastest prosthetic technology to the NHS.
NHS limb centres must apply on a patient by patient basis for grants of up to £5,000 per limb, including fitting and associated costs. Applications must come from Limb Centres which have assessed the child’s prosthetic needs and prescribed a suitable prosthetic limb. Patients cannot apply directly or through their doctor.
The funding will be available until March 2018.