A SEDGLEY pensioner with chronic lung disease said she is a ‘prisoner in her own home’ while she waits for an electric wheelchair.

Sylvia Sullivan is currently confined to her living room as she struggles to walk unaided because she suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and has problems with her spine.

In March, specialists referred the 66-year-old to Dudley Wheelchair Service but five months later, she is still waiting for her chair.

The former pub landlady said: “My day to day life is a constant hell due to the lack of a wheelchair. I cannot breathe and if you cannot breathe, you cannot walk. It isn’t a luxury for me it’s a necessity.

“I can’t get out to the shops – the last time I tried was a month ago. It took me three hours to get from my sofa to the front door. I have a mobility scooter but by the time I eventually got to it by the door, I was too exhausted to even try and go out and sat on the floor for a while and then it took me two-and-a-half hours to get back to the sofa. If I had a powered chair I could have got to my scooter in seconds.

“I depend on friends to go to the shops now, I used to run pubs and love talking to people but now I am just a prisoner in my own home.”

Mrs Sullivan said she feels “terrible” about her situation and often cries, adding: “I feel frustrated that I can’t breathe or walk any more, although I know it’s not my fault, I just feel useless.

“A wheelchair would mean the world to me, I would feel like I had won the lottery, I would have a life again.

“I don’t think I can go on much longer without this chair. I feel let down and ignored by these people, they are literally making my life a hell every day.”

Mrs Sullivan’s friend, Rob Holloway, who recently returned from working abroad, was horrified to see how she “had been left to rot” and called the service, demanding to know why no appointment had been made to assess her home.

But his questions went unanswered as Mr Holloway said members of staff regularly failed to call him back.

Mrs Sullivan finally received a letter from the service on Monday (August 22) to say an assessment would take place on Wednesday September 7.

However a day later, Mr Holloway received a call to say the appointment had been double booked and had been rescheduled for the next day at 11am.

He said: “I could not believe what I was hearing, giving us less than 24 hours notice to change the appointment after we have fought to get any communication from them for five weeks, I find that appalling.”

Mr Holloway arrived at Mrs Sullivan’s home for 11am but it was 12.30pm before anyone showed up and he had to leave at 11.45am due to other commitments.

He continued: “I spoke to Mrs Sullivan that afternoon and she was confused. She was given no indication of when she would get her own chair despite being told she certainly needed one.”

When Mr Holloway, who had already lodged a formal complaint about the service, called to try and find out when she would be provided with a chair, he was left outraged.

"The man I spoke to told me he had no idea and wouldn't even guess, his attitude was totally belittling and he in fact scoffed when I asked for a time scale. I told him about the background but he had no interest and unbelievably said 'well some patients need one less than her and some need one more so it's just a waiting game'.

"The conduct of this so-called service is a disgrace."

Mr Holloway has sought the help of Dudley North MP Ian Austin, who said he was "really concerned" to hear about Mrs Sullivan's plight.

He said: "I contacted Dudley Group of Hospitals right away to see what they could do to help. I’m chasing the hospital because I want to make sure she gets help as quickly as possible."

Paula Clark, chief executive of the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust, said: "The demand for wheelchairs across the NHS nationally is very high, with 70 per cent of patients waiting longer than three months for a wheelchair. 

"Dudley is no exception to this high level of demand and, although we have recently improved our processes to offer more appointments, unfortunately some of our patients are waiting longer than we would like, particularly those who require electric wheelchairs."

She continued: "Because electric wheelchairs are fitted and made to measure for each individual patient, the process for supplying one is more complex, involving a number of assessments, home visits and training sessions.

"All patients referred to the service are added to our waiting list in order of clinical priority to ensure those most in need of a wheelchair can be seen first. 

"We are unable to comment further as we have not received the patient’s consent to discuss her specific case."