AQW 38911/22-27

Ms Kate Nicholl
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 23/01/2026
Answered On Date: 12/02/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health whether there is a shortage of wheelchairs in nursing homes.

Answer:

The Department of Health has not been notified of a shortage of wheelchairs specifically across nursing homes across Northern Ireland.

The Nursing Homes Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2005 and the Regional Nursing Home Minimum Care Standards 2015 place explicit responsibility on providers to ensure residents have timely access to suitable and safe mobility equipment. This obligation is supported through statutory regulation, the regional care home contract, community equipment guidelines, and minimum care home standards, all of which collectively require providers to ensure that residents’ assessed needs are met in full.