Hundreds of children to get ‘activity’ prosthetics in new govt funding
Written by News on 11/04/2018
Hundreds of children with missing limbs are set to benefit from a further £1.5m investment to provide activity prosthetics such as high-tech running blades.
The government has announced that the fund, which has already supported more than two hundred disabled youngsters, will mean more children being able to use sporting prosthetics in the future.
Minister of State for Care, Caroline Dinenage, told Sky News: “Some of the money goes to provide the limbs, but some of it goes to research and development so we can find newer, easier ways of doing it with less cost, but actually make it easier for those in the future.
“Sport and activity are so important to any child’s health, well-being and confidence, and today’s announcement should help many more disabled children to fulfil their sporting ambitions.”
At the Prosthetic Rehabilitation Centre at London’s Stanmore Hospital, two youngsters who have benefited from the program told Sky News how it felt to be fitted with activity blades for the first time.
Ollie Bauert, 10, who is without the lower portion of his right leg, said: “It made a big difference because I could finally have fun with all my friends and not have to worry about staying behind.”
Masie Catt, who is eight, and requires prosthetics for both legs said: “When I got it on I was happy because I felt a big difference. It’s springy and I could just run fast.”
A £1.5m investment to the fund was previously announced in September 2016, with £750,000 funded through the National Institute for Health Research to create a Child Prosthetics Research Collaboration.
The aim is to bring together leading national research centres with capabilities in child prosthetics with key experts from the NHS, industry, and clinical academia.
Also at the launch was Paralympic gold medallist Richard Whitehead MBE who told Sky News: “As an elite athlete I have the technology to perform at the highest level, but what I’m doing today is providing the young people with a little bit of inspiration and hope, and obviously showing my medal around what is possible. And I’m getting some inspiration from these youngsters as well.”
There are an estimated 2,000 children in the UK who are without limbs, for a variety of reasons. So far, 220 of them have applied for help through this scheme and all have been accepted.
It is hoped that many more will now come forward for an activity prosthetic that could help transform their lives.
(c) Sky News 2018: Hundreds of children to get ‘activity’ prosthetics in new govt funding
