Worldwide Business Information and Market Reports
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Worldwide Business Information and Market Reports
Telephone +44 1404 891528 Fax +44 1404 891717 Email reportfinder @ tiscali.co.uk
ISBN 1-85765-481-1
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There are an estimated 6.5 million disabled
children and adults in the UK. Most of their needs for aids and rehabilitation
equipment are supplied by government institutions, local authorities, private
commercial organisations, charities and voluntary organisations and their own
contributions.
The National Health Service (NHS) is the main supplier
of services and is, therefore, the key buyer for the industry. It has a
statutory obligation to supply some of the equipment, such as wheelchairs and
deaf aids needed by the disabled.
In 1994, Key Note valued the total
market for aids and equipment at an estimated £950m, with the NHS
accounting for around 60 percent of this total. Although the overall market is very
large, many of the market sectors are quite small measured in volume terms,
because of the individual nature of disabilities. The fragmented structure of
the industry has consequently evolved with many low-volume producers, competing
in all the sectors of demand.
There is a vital need for the supplier
industry to consolidate into larger units, as many of the firms are too small
to be able to invest in the next phase of technical developments. For many
companies, the costs of operating under their present production and sales
structure is too high and this is reflected in the high price of equipment and
the low volume of sales.
Individuals who are on low incomes or state
benefits in non-residential care, often find that they are unable to buy the
type of equipment they would like, unless they receive a top-up from other
sources, and this top-up is not always readily forthcoming. Nevertheless,
market growth in value and volume terms still seems virtually assured for a
number of reasons.
Among the contributory factors are the rising number
of elderly disabled, a prospective increase in the number of handicapped
children who are saved at birth, and the skill of surgeons who successfully
treat seriously-injured accident victims. Also hospital, health and homecare
services now have to provide either electrically-operated or mechanical aids
for nursing staff involved in lifting and moving patients. A further
development is that all public services will soon be affected by the Disability
Discrimination Bill, currently being debated in Parliament, which will oblige
them to provide better access facilities for the disabled, such as platform
lifts and stairlifts.
There are also likely to be radical changes in
the supply industry, with amalgamations and rationalisation of manufacturing
bringing more efficient production and possibly lower prices. This would help
to reduce the funding gap so that more people would be able to benefit from the
latest technology.
Text © 1995 Key Note
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