Lincolnshire Wheelchair Service
On Site Review 3 – 4 December 2025
Mike Birdsall (Senior Software Developer)
Dave Rolph (Managing Director)
Mike and Dave attended the Lincolnshire Wheelchair service to assist Millbrook Healthcare Ltd. with a number of key objectives:
1 – Configure new Bar Code scanners and Printers.
2 – Hand hold the 1st Full Stock Take.
3 – Build key stock control automation procedures to improve stock management efficiency.
4 – Review workload status of actions transferred from the previous provider.
5 – Customise review screens and key procedures to support better information and flow.
6 – Work with staff to handhold any issues found since the contract went live.
Service History
The Lincolnshire Wheelchair Service and Soft Options share a long history, having been among the earliest adopters of the Soft Options WICS system in 1993 and key contributors to the original user group.
The service was also the first NHS wheelchair contract to be awarded to the private sector, initially operated by Millbrook Healthcare and later operated by two other providers.
Following the liquidation of the previous provider in August 2025, Millbrook Healthcare and Soft Options had to act quickly to minimise disruption and ensure continuity of patient care.
More History
As the new Wheelchair Service Implementation Lead for Millbrook Healthcare, Lesley Papworth was recruited to take Millbrook Healthcare back into WCS provision.
Lesley Papworth has also experienced a lot of changes during her 20 years in this area. Since her first role in wheelchairs at West Berkshire Wheelchair Service, starting in 2006, she has worked in the NHS and in three private providers, as a therapist, as a clinical manager and as an operational manager, overseeing a fully integrated WCS. She maintains her joint focuses on efficiency and quality, and believes that BEST gives the opportunity to both direct activity to these outcomes, and evidence them. She makes no secret of her excitement when BEST developments give what is needed!
Lesley inspecting the 1st run of the new design Asset Bar Code Labels
“I’ve used BEST for nearly 15 years now, and I’ve worked more closely with Soft Options for the last five years, so I can honestly say that I’m never disappointed. They keep on top of national requirements and develop BEST to those, they make time to understand what is required for local developments, adding their own expertise and experience to make suggestions and improvements, and their dedication to making BEST the best it can be is second to none. BEST delivers, and so do Soft Options! “
Lesley Papworth – Wheelchair Services Implementation Lead – Millbrook Healthcare
Soft Options Thoughts
“The biggest challenge with this site came from the short notice turnaround and the fact that the data needed to be converted into the latest version of BEST without any of the existing staff being involved until the system went live.Millbrook Healthcare provided everything we needed from an IT perspective and Lesley Papworth was just amazing with her energy and positive attitude to getting the service on track for the good of the service users.
This was certainly a challenging installation and the site visit was a busy one but also very rewarding to see how quickly we could address each users issues and help them make more use of the features that BEST provides.”
Dave Rolph – Managing Director – Soft Options
“Coming from a Wheelchair Approved Repair background, I have a real appreciation of how important effective logistics are to the workings of a top-class service. This area is often seen as of lesser importance in other areas of the NHS, but for Wheelchair Services it doesn’t matter how good the clinical side of the operation is, if equipment is not being procured, stored, delivered, repaired and refurbished efficiently, then service quality will always suffer.
When looking to help our customers get the most out of the features BEST has to offer, I always prefer to do this on a site visit. That way, I get to meet the staff, see the facilities and get a proper understanding of the challenges faced. It was great to see that Barry and Clayton in the Stores/Workshop department already had a strong handle on the logistical needs of the operation, with effective processes in place and a well-organised warehouse.
With that in mind, it was clear that the support needed was to facilitate the recording in BEST of the physical activities being undertaken. Making use of BEST’s built-in Generic Bar Code mechanism, we were quickly able to configure simple-to-use point and scan functions for recording things like asset locations, asset sentencing and creation of reconditioning work orders.
Working together with the Teams at Millbrook, and covering other topics such as Stock Taking, managing Driver’s Rounds and helping to get the label printers up and running, we have hopefully made a big difference in a very short time.”
Mike Birdsall – Senior Software Developer – Soft Options
“Soft Options visited our site recently to iron out some of the issues we were having with BEST. Dave and Mike were very receptive, flexible and patient and went the extra mile to provide support, especially from a technical perspective. Their explanations of how to use the system were comprehensive and easy to follow, step by step instructions were provided – great for a technophobe like me. Thanks, gentlemen, for all your help and support.”
Jeanette Parkes – Clinical Lead – Lincolnshire Wheelchair Services
“The team at Soft Options are very good at dealing with the issues, but more so, explaining why its gone wrong, and the fix so there is a better understanding of the system. I find the team at Soft Options friendly, focused and I have enjoyed working with them all over the years”
Leonora Green – Customer Service Manager – Lincolnshire Wheelchair Services
We had soft options here last week and they have managed to streamline our process and made it a lot better to complete work orders
Barry Slattery – Storeman – Lincolnshire Wheelchair Services
