Preparing For Your Appointment What to expect when you have a video or clinic appointment, as well as information on what you may need to bring to your appointment, how to find us, plus details on patient transport.

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Requesting information in an alternative format

To request information or any of our key documents is an alternative format such as braille, easy to read, larger print, audio or other format, please call 0300 124 820. Alternatively, you send us an SMS or Whatsapp message to 07471 038 629 or email us at surreywcs@rosscare.co.uk quoting the publications title plus the format you require.

Your Goals

How do you want to use your wheelchair?

Before your assessment, you will be asked to complete a Wheelchair Outcomes Assessment (WATCh) form. When completing this form, please consider how your wheelchair could support your goals. It may also help if you write down any additional questions that you would like to ask during your appointment.

During your assessment, our wheelchair therapists will support you in identifying your health and wellbeing goals and desired outcomes. We will co-design a care plan that supports these outcomes and any wider care plans you have. 

Learn about the Wheelchair Outcomes Assessment Tools 

Clinic Appointments

Coming to clinic

Our clinical team assess your mobility, pressure, and postural support needs. Following a detailed discussion that includes your lifestyle and personal priorities, our clinicians will develop a care and support plan with you. We can then offer the most appropriate wheelchair, pressure cushion and/or postural support from our NHS range. 

We may work with community health and social care teams to ensure you receive a holistic service and are aware of all the options available to you. Our repair team will repair and maintain the equipment provided to you for as long as you require it.  

When you arrive at reception, a member of our team will take your name and appointment details. If you require assistance from your car, we have a portering wheelchair available but please get in touch with us before your appointment so we can arrange this.  

Most appointments start and finish on time, but please allow plenty of time for your appointment. If there is any delay, we will let you know and keep you updated.  Please also ensure you wear comfortable and loose clothing, so it is easier to assess your posture.   

We often work closely with therapists within Social Care, Education and the Children Schools and Family (CSF) teams. If you are currently seeing a particular therapist, please inform them of the appointment, as we welcome their attendance.

What to expect at your appointment:

You may see a Wheelchair Therapist (Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist), a Rehabilitation Engineer (RE), a Rehabilitation Technician (RET) or a Therapy Assistant. Your assessment will be carried out by the most appropriate member(s) of the team.

Your clinician will ask you questions about your medical history. They need to assess your posture and how you sit in your wheelchair. The postural assessment may require you to transfer onto the plinth. 

Assistance with a hoist or transfer aid will be provided if needed, but please bring your own sling or portable transfer aid, such as a transfer board. 

You will be asked if you are having any issues with your current wheelchair if you have one. Your height and weight may also need to be checked. 

We have some assessment equipment available on site, and you may be able to trial a wheelchair during your appointment. For specialist equipment, we may need to bring you back for a further appointment, but the therapist will be able to show you examples of different types of equipment that may be prescribed.

What to bring to your appointment:

Medication that you take during the day
A list of all medication prescribed to you.
Hoist slings or portable transfer aids that you use.
Communication aids that you use.
Any snacks or drinks you may require.
Any splints or braces, as these may affect the size and specification of the equipment we provide.
Your completed WATCh questionnaire (if applicable, this will be included with your appointment letter). 
Please also ensure you wear comfortable and loose clothing, so it is easier to assess your posture.

Video Appointments

NHS Attend Anywhere

We use a secure web-based video call service called 'Attend Anywhere' for pre-arranged appointments.

If you are due to have a video consultation, we will schedule your appointment as normal and send you the details of the appointment date and time.

Illustration showing a attend anywhere video call with a clinician and a patient

Bringing a Child to their Appointment

We aim to make the experience for all children attending our clinics as comfortable as possible. We have child-friendly waiting areas and clinic rooms. If there is anything that may make the appointment easier for you or your child, please share this with us prior to the appointment. You may want to bring a familiar toy with you.

Our Clinics

We want to make it as easy as possible for you to attend your appointment and to ensure you get the most out of it. Clinic appointments are usually within our office hours of Monday to Friday, between 8.30am - 5pm, but we may occasionally offer Saturday or evening clinics.  

Our clinics are situated in Woking and Redhill. These sites were chosen as they are convenient and easy for many people to access. Both sites have free disabled parking outside the clinic sites, away from the main road.  

We have accessible toilets with a hoist, and our waiting areas have water coolers but no on-site refreshments. Our climate-controlled clinic rooms also have hoists (please bring your sling) and medical plinths. If you use a standing hoist or a stand-and-turn aid, please contact us before your appointment to discuss your requirements. 

Local Transport Information

We are unable to provide transport, however you may be able to arrange patient transport through your GP. 

Details of how to book transport are included with your appointment letter, or if you have used the Transport service before, click the button below to visit the NHS Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service (NEPTS), you will need your NHS number and date of birth to log in.  Please contact us if you need help to arrange your journey. We can provide you with directions in different formats or extra guidance. 

NHS Non-Emergency Patient Transport Service

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How long will the appointment last?

    The appointment will take approximately 45-75 minutes, but occasionally can be longer.

  • What happens next?

    We will ask you to complete the NHS Friends and Family survey. We value your feedback as your experiences or suggestions are used to continually improve the service.

    If you share a ‘thank you’ compliment, this will be shared with the appropriate members of our team. These messages let us know when things are working well and enable us to share best practices across the UK, helping to improve wheelchair services.

    If you have completed a WATCh questionnaire, we will contact you again approximately 8 weeks after you have been provided with your wheelchair to follow up and see if it has met your expectations.

    If you have any additional questions after your appointment, our website has resources that may assist you, or you can contact us at any time.

  • Can I change or cancel my appointment?

    We acknowledge that there are many reasons why appointments need to be rearranged, sometimes at short notice, but unfortunately this can cause delays for everyone.

    Therefore, if you are unable to keep your appointment, please make every effort to cancel it well in advance, so that it can be offered to someone else.

    If you no longer require an appointment, please contact us so we can amend our records and offer your appointment to someone else. 

    Non-attendance and cancellations at short notice, without a valid reason, deprive other service users of an appointment. If you do not attend your first appointment and have not contacted us, we will write to you to ask you to contact the service.