Sport for Confidence CIC, in partnership with Essex Carers Network CIC, has secured funding from the Southend, Essex and Thurrock Learning Disability and Autism Health Equalities Programme to purchase 12 specialist weighing scales designed for wheelchair users.
Sport for Confidence CIC, in partnership with Essex Carers Network CIC, has secured funding from the Southend, Essex and Thurrock Learning Disability and Autism Health Equalities Programme to purchase 12 specialist weighing scales designed for wheelchair users, addressing a long-standing gap in equitable access to basic health monitoring across Essex.
The investment responds directly to evidence gathered by the Essex Carers Network from families and carers highlighting significant barriers faced by wheelchair users during routine healthcare interactions, particularly annual health checks.
Wendy Burt, CEO of Essex Carers Network, explains: “We regularly hear from families about the barriers they face during health appointments, particularly when environments or equipment are not accessible for their family member with disabilities.
“A recurring challenge is the lack of wheelchair accessible scales. This becomes especially concerning when accurate weight is essential for safe medication dosing, as getting it wrong can have a direct impact on a person’s health and wellbeing. Our families already experience significant health inequalities, and gaps like this only widen that divide.”
The newly funded portable, wheelchair accessible scales will provide a non-intrusive, practical solution by making accurate weight measurement more accessible. Located within leisure venues already hosting Sport for Confidence’s Reconnect and Good Food, Good Moves programs, the scales will enable individuals, carers, families and healthcare professionals to capture essential health data more easily and consistently.
Victoria Chesterman, Occupational Therapist, Sport for Confidence, adds: “This investment helps tackle a clear and longstanding inequality in healthcare access. Being able to monitor weight is something many people take for granted, yet for wheelchair users it can be a significant barrier. Making these scales available is a practical step towards ensuring everyone has access to the same standard of care and that no one is disadvantaged by the environment or equipment available to them.”
This successful funding bid not only improves accessibility to vital services for wheelchair users it also raises awareness across the healthcare system of the importance of inclusive practice, supporting wider change to deliver more equitable care for residents across Essex and, potentially beyond.
Wheelchair accessible scales are available now, free of charge, in the following locations: Clacton Leisure Centre, Colchester Leisure World, Witham Leisure Centre, Chelmsford Riverside Leisure Centre, The Brentwood Centre, Basildon Sporting Village, Canvey Island Leisure Centre and The Lord Butler Leisure Centre, Saffron Walden.
For more information or if you are interested in using the scales, please click here.
Click here to learn more about Reconnect.
