West Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight Newsletter - February 2026

February 19, 2026

Hello, and welcome to your local Wheelchair Service newsletter. We hope you find the information in this newsletter useful. If you have any suggestions about the content in this newsletter, please email us at hants.iow.wcs@rosscare.co.uk

Meet your CHEO

Hello, my name’s Emily Galton and I am the Community Health and Engagement Officer (CHEO) for the West Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight Wheelchair and Repair Service and I'm pleased to share our latest news and updates with you!

“I was a young carer to my mum growing up. I was just 8 when I started caring for her and continued to do so for 23 years. My mum was a wheelchair user for 20 years, and this lived experience has given me an understanding of the challenges wheelchair users and their families face. I’m a parent carer too.

Alongside working for Ross Care, I’m an active steering group member of the Southampton Parent Carer Forum. I’ve also worked alongside Physios and OTs as a rehab assistant within the NHS. With a wealth of lived experience in caring for and working with people with a disability.

If you see me around the service centres, please do say hello. I look forward to meeting many of you.”

A message from the Clinical Lead, Richard Hammond:

With the winter season upon us and Christmas a distant memory, activity within the wheelchair is brisk as always. This time of year, brings a seasonal rise in hospital admissions which then has a knock-on demand for wheelchairs, particularly to facilitate ward discharges. As always, the more notice referrers can give us, the better chance the service will have to supply equipment in a timely fashion to meet discharge target dates.

We were sad to say goodbye to Kerry Schumann. Kerry is a very experienced OT and wheelchair therapist and having been with the service for 3 years is moving onto new challenges and we wish her well for the future.

Open Episode of care and waiting list referrals have continued to fall and we as a service continue to explore new strategies and innovative projects that will further reduce our waiting lists and continue improving the service for our users.

Service User Engagement Forum

Are you a wheelchair user, carer, or family of a wheelchair user? Would you like to get involved in shaping better services?

Next Date: Tuesday 21st April 2026 12pm – 1pm

Our Community Health Engagement Officer (CHEO), Emily, chairs a quarterly service user engagement and improvement board meeting for service users, their relatives and carers, stakeholders, external professionals and organisations and anyone in the wider community who has an interest in the local NHS wheelchair and repair service.

Everyone is welcome - we’d love to hear from you! These meetings are easily accessible, with meetings being held online via Microsoft Teams (join from any location, on any device - mobile, computer or tablet) as well as in person at our Chandlers Ford Service Centre.

📍 Unit E1 Omega Enterprise Park, Chandlers Ford Industrial Estate, Hampshire SO53 4SE
🛜 or join virtually on Teams

To book your space and receive an invite, please contact the Emily.Galton@rosscare.co.uk or call 0333 003 8071 and ask to speak to the CHEO, Monday to Thursday between 8am – 2pm.

Rambling in the New Forest

Community Engagement

Our Community Health and Engagement Officer (CHEO) for Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Emily Galton, recently joined local group Hampshire RoamAbility for a ramble in the New Forest, Hampshire -find out how it went and how you can get involved:

"Yesterday I joined Hampshire RoamAbility for a ramble in the New Forest. It was a very cold day, but beautiful sunshine. I rambled around 6 miles with the group, out towards Cadman's pool and surrounding areas. It was great to engage with the group, learn about some of their barriers.

I spoke with one of the members of the group who said she would like to see some more younger people join the group, as she said it has helped massively with her independence and it gets her dog out too! She informed me she has ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis)

During the ramble she explained she faced a barrier with not having a WAV. But she overcame that and now uses a small trailer to transport her off-roader scooter to go on Rambles! These photos and this engagement will feature in the West Hampshire, Southampton & IOW NHS Wheelchair service and repair service's winter newsletter in February! We even got joined by a little Robin, who flew from a branch on a bush, and came right up close to me. It was a delight!

I've joined the group before, so have built a good relationship with them. They've left an open invitation for me to join any future rambles. They were delighted when I asked if they'd like to feature in the Hampshire Wheelchair Service newsletter. Hopefully it will help their rambling group grow..."

Hampshire RoamAbility ramble regularly throughout the year, mainly in Hampshire and neighbouring counties, making particular use of the New Forest National Park and coastal areas.

Hampshire RoamAbility organises social events and encourages members to be actively involved.

They campaign to improve access to the countryside. They share known accessible routes, so they can get barriers removed. RoamAbility is a local group for people who want to ramble – either walking or using mobility scooters, off road trikes and powerchairs meant for off-roading. Please note – some rambles, in towns and city centres, may be suitable for powered wheelchairs.

Get Involved!

If you'd like to join Hampshire RoamAbility on a ramble or if you'd like more information, please contact Di Petit or Mave Hiseman:

Mave:
📧 m.hiseman@hotmail.co.uk
📞 07789 511124

Di:
📧 di.madmunchkin@yahoo.co.uk
📞 01794 501705 or 07788 512289

Community Engagement Team Wins Award at The Big Thank You Day

Your local CHEO for Hampshire & Isle of Wight, Emily Galton, and Clive Bassant (CHEO from Kent & Medway), both attended the awards day, after the CHEO team were nominated for the Partnership & Engagement Award for Ross Care’s Big Thank You Day. Along with a certificate and gift cards, the team were presented with the British Healthcare Trades Industry award for outstanding community outreach, which was awarded to Ross Care in December 2025. The work of the Community Health Engagement Officers and supporting evidence of this helped with Ross Care’s nomination. The team were very pleased and honoured; however, they strongly felt the absence of their late team member, colleague and friend Alex (former CHEO in Surrey), who sadly passed away in December 2025.

“We know he would have been proud and honoured too, and was very much with us in our hearts. We're very pleased the award will be in Alex's name moving forwards. He was a huge part of our team. We will continue to strengthen engagement within NHS Wheelchair services, empower users and advocate the service user voice and direct campaign and policy engagement, whilst continuing to drive co-design and implement meaningful service improvements. Ensuring service users, carers, and families remain at the heart of everything we do”

– Emily Galton, CHEO Hampshire & IOW

Wheelchair Referrer Training

Healthcare Professionals: Improve your competency and confidence when completing referrals to the Hampshire Wheelchair Service

Upcoming dates:

🗓️ 9 March 2026 from 9.30 - 4pm
🗓️ 16 March 2026 from 9.30 - 4pm

📍 Ross Care, Unit E1, Omega Enterprise Park, Chandlers Ford Business Park, Eastleigh, SO53 4SE

This one-day training course is designed to improve competency and confidence when completing referrals to the Wheelchair Service. The course is aimed at all therapy-based referrers, such as Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapist Assistants, and Physiotherapy Assistants.

Learn more about the training or book your place at https://rosscare.co.uk/blogs/hampshire-and-iow-wcs-blog/wheelchair-referrer-training-march-2026

The Return of Wheelfest for 2026

Saturday 18th April from 10am - 2pm

We look forward to supporting and joining Peter Hull MBE, and Solent University to bring inclusive wheelchair sporting and activities to the city of Southampton once again in 2026, to encourage and enable people with a disability/impairment to enjoy a range of wheelchair sports and activities, as well as raising awareness of inclusivity.

📅 Saturday 18th April 2026, from 10am until 2pm
📍 At Solent University in the sports complex

This year, Wheelfest will be operating during a university open day; therefore, refreshments should be available on the day, along with parking options. There will be stewards available to help on the day. There will be an array of wheelchair sporting clubs in attendance, showcasing their clubs and offering lots of information for anyone interested in taking part in inclusive wheelchair sports and activities.

The Ross Care team are looking forward to supporting this event once more this year by helping to advertise the event and supplying spare wheelchairs for use on the day for relatives and carers to take part.

The last wheel fest event took place on Saturday 7th June 2025 at Solent University sports complex from. We had special guests attend the event, such as the Lord Mayor of Southampton, who came and opened the event, providing us with a short speech and even took part in wheelchair rugby! We also had Paralympic wheelchair rugby gold medallist Aaron Phipps join us for the opening speech, who shared a few words himself.

Contact Emily Galton at emily.galton@rosscare.co.uk for more information

Evenbreak – the award winning job board for disabled people

The Hive website, which is a part of Evenbreak, is used to help signpost candidates who contact Evenbreak, to organisations that can support them on their employment journey.

To find out more information on Evenbreak, take a look at their website: www.evenbreak.com

Visit the connect to support Hampshire website for information on equipment, money matters, advice support and much more.

Visit Connect to Support Hampshire at www.connecttosupporthampshire.org.uk

Carer Support

Unpaid Carers Support Southampton

Unpaid carers in Southampton offer support to adults providing unpaid care to someone with ill health or a disability. Below you can find details of some upcoming events aimed at carers.

Carers Choir Spring Term

The spring term of Carers Choir is now available to book online and over the phone!

📅 February 4th, 11th, 25th, March 4th, 11th, 25th, April 1^st
🕚 11.30am - 12.30pm.
📍 The MAST Studios 142, 144 Above Bar St, Southampton SO14 7DU

Drop In Evening Support Group for Carers

We are running our evening drop in session on the first Tuesday of the month with Woolston & Chartwell Partnership

📅 3rd March, 7th April, 5th May, 2nd June, 7th July, 4th August
📍 The Salvation Army Church, 93 North East Road, Sholing, Southampton, SO19 8AF

Young Carers Isle of Wight

Barnardo's offers support for young carers and their families. They work with children and young people to provide a range of events and activities to give them a break from their caring responsibilities, and also offer one-to-one support tailored to meet their individual needs.

Learn more or request support at www.isleofwightfamilycentres.org.uk/young-carers-professionals

Carers First Virtual Wellbeing Programme

As a carer, it is important to look after yourself, and this programme will give you the opportunity to meet with other carers to identify steps you can take to improve your wellbeing.

Carers First will provide a safe and supportive environment and explore ways to manage stress, build your emotional resilience and increase your self-care. These sessions are held on the first Tuesday of each month, 11am - 12:15pm.

Learn more or register your interest in these sessions at www.carersfirst.org.uk/help-and-advice/topics/virtual-wellbeing-programme

Wheelchair Return Campaign

Care and Nursing homes: When a resident no longer requires a wheelchair that has been issued on loan from the Wheelchair Service, please let us know, and one of our customer service team members will be happy to arrange a collection.

The wheelchair service prescribes equipment for the individual's mobility and postural needs, wheelchairs should not be used by anyone other than the individual it was originally prescribed for.

Local NHS and social care services lose thousands of pounds each year due to missing equipment.

Whatever state the equipment is in, all items will be assessed, safety tested and either repaired, reused or stripped down to be recycled.

Arrange a collection

One of our customer service team will be happy to arrange a collection:
Tel: 0333 003 8071 | Email: hants.iow.wcs@rosscare.co.uk

Opening hours 8:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday.

If you would prefer to return wheelchairs that are no longer required yourself, you can take them to:

Chandlers Ford:

📍 Unit E1, Omega Enterprise Park, Chandlers Ford Industrial Estate, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO53 4SE
📞 0333 003 8071
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Newport:

📍 Unit 17, Barry Way, Newport, Isle of White, PO30 5GY
📞 0330 124 4489
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Co-Designing with Service Users for Service Improvement

Our Community Health Engagement Officer Emily, recently worked alongside our Graphic Designer Ruby, to create a new feedback poster to display within both the service Centre’s in Chandlers Ford, Hampshire & Newport, IOW. The feedback posters were shared with service users who attended the service user forum in October 2025. The feedback received was that the posters were ‘too wordy, not very visual, which would disengage people’ and it was felt that they weren’t very accessible or inclusive. However, it was stated they liked the use of different expressions for the faces and the colours.

After taking on board the feedback received, Ruby redesigned the posters, and we are pleased to share these with you now in our newsletter. The posters were shared again at the following service user forum, that took place in January 2026. The feedback received from service users was very positive. They were appreciative that we had listened to their original feedback and took on board the points raised, to make the necessary changes to improve the feedback posters. A great initiative that shows how we value our service user input and always take on board feedback provided.

As a service we always encourage our service users, carers, and other professionals to get involved and help improve the service. We do hope all of our service users agree! You can see the new feedback posters on display in your nearest Service Centre and on our website.

Wheelchair Skills

Wheelchair Skills Training for Kids and Teens

Last year our CHEO Emily previously attended a wheelchair skills workshop aimed at children aged 2yrs to 17yrs in Fareham.

Hampshire CHEO, Emily Galton at a Go Kids Go event

The Charity Go-Kids-Go travel around the country to deliver vital wheelchair skills workshops to children and their families. Through providing spare wheelchairs, it enables family members and siblings to participate in the activities and training alongside the wheelchair users.

Emily was also provided with a spare wheelchair, and participated in the session, including playing a game of family friendly wheelchair basketball, in which she thoroughly enjoyed.

“It was a real eye opener, and I met some lovely people”

– Emily, CHEO.

www.go-kids-go.org.uk

Wheelchair Skills Training for Adults

Our clinicians provide basic manoeuvre training during the handover of your wheelchair; however, the NHS Wheelchair service is unfortunately not commissioned to provide further and more advanced wheelchair skills training.

The organisations below can offer wheelchair skills training at various levels, both in group settings and on a 1:1 basis. They also bring the element of lived experience, being wheelchair users themselves.

You can contact them via their websites for further information and enquiries:

www.freedomwheelchairskills.co.uk

www.wheelchairskills.org

Ross Care Wins the BHTA Community Engagement Award

Ross Care is delighted to announce that we have been named the winner of the Community Engagement Award by the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA). This recognition reflects the fantastic work taking place across our organisation to actively engage with Service Users in their communities and support their wellbeing.

Read more about the Community Engagement Award from the BHTA on our blog at www.rosscare.co.uk/blogs/news/ross-care-wins-bhta-community-engagement-award

Our Service Business Cards

An easy way to provide feedback using the QR code on our new business cards:

Ask a member of staff for a business card with our contact details on. You can find all the information you need to contact your local Ross Care NHS Wheelchair Service. There is one for Hampshire and one for the Isle of Wight.

You will also find on the back of the cards a QR code, which will take you to a form to provide feedback on our service online. It’s easy and simple to do and only takes a couple of minutes to complete.

Just scan the QR code using your mobile or tablet device.

This is just one way in which you can provide feedback about our service, you can also ask for a paper feedback form within the service Centre. Alternatively, you can provide feedback to our staff via email and telephone, or via our website. We value your feedback, so please provide feedback using the method most convenient to you.

Your feedback assists us with developing the service and making improvements. Thank you.You can also complete our Friends and Family Feedback Test Online at https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=HoBy0HBv3k6HuhJ18_r0rnFifS9SClxMpKCv1_9SVhtUOTVFTFFQNjM2UEpGWUVOSTI0Qjg2RlRSUi4u&origin=QRCode

Other News and Updates

Health Roadshow at Riverside Centre - Newport, Isle of Wight

Our Community Health Engagement Officer recently attended the health roadshow at the Riverside centre in Newport Isle of Wight back in November 2025, organised by community action Isle of Wight.

There were many organisations, charities and professionals who attended to showcase their services to the public. It was great for engaging and networking. Ross Care attended this event for three years.

Our CHEO has recently undertaken PSIRF training (Patient Safety Incident Response Framework) in Dec 2025

Emily, our CHEO in Hampshire and Isle of Wight is now the engagement lead for (PSIRF) Patient Safety Incident Response Framework.

Any incidents that take place, requiring full investigation from the team in Hampshire & Isle of Wight, will now include our CHEO’s involvement.

The CHEO will engage and involve those who have been affected by patient safety incidents alongside the Clinical Team lead. This can include our service users, their relatives, and carers and staff.

During the process of involvement, our CHEO will be able to provide you with a patient safety incident investigation patient and family guide, which explains what to expect and how you can be involved in the process.

Contact Us!

You can contact your local service Centre team on: