End Age-Based Restrictions for Mobility Support and NHS Continence Care – In Memory of Lila Maggie Dripps-Weir
Every child deserves access to the support, equipment and care they need to live with dignity, comfort, independence and the best possible quality of life.

This includes children like our beautiful daughter, Lila Maggie Dripps-Weir, who was born with profound disabilities and a life-limiting condition.

Lila faced challenges that no child should have to endure, yet despite overwhelming medical evidence and the support of her healthcare professionals, our family experienced first-hand how age-based policies can create unnecessary barriers to accessing essential mobility support and continence products.

We are determined to honour Lila's memory by helping to create a fairer system for every child and family who follows.

We are calling on the UK Government, the devolved administrations and the NHS to ensure that access to essential mobility support and NHS continence products is based on clinical need, clear medical evidence and recommendations from healthcare professionals—not a person's age.

Mobility Support Should Be Based on Need
Children and adults can experience severe mobility difficulties because of conditions including neurological disorders, cerebral palsy, muscular disorders, congenital conditions, heart disease, respiratory illness, cancer and many other lifelong disabilities.

For children born with profound disabilities, mobility support is not about convenience—it is about safety, comfort, reducing pain, participating in family life and ensuring they can attend vital hospital and healthcare appointments safely.

Decisions should be based on:

Clinical assessments.
Medical evidence.
Supporting letters from GPs, consultants, specialist nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and other healthcare professionals.
The individual's functional mobility needs and how their condition affects everyday life.
No child should face unnecessary barriers to essential support because of age-based eligibility rules.

NHS Continence Products Should Be Based on Clinical Need
Across the UK, and northern ireland eligibility for NHS continence products varies between areas and can include age-related criteria that leave some children and adults without the products they clinically require.

Incontinence can result from:

Neurological conditions.
Congenital disabilities.
Spinal injuries.
Cancer and its treatment.
Chronic illness.
Other lifelong or acquired medical conditions.
Continence products are not a luxury. They are essential healthcare that protects dignity, comfort, skin integrity, physical health and emotional wellbeing.

Access should always be determined by:

Clinical need.
Medical diagnosis.
Continence assessment.
Evidence provided by healthcare professionals.
No one should be disadvantaged because of their age or where they live.

Why This Matters
Medical need should always come before age.

Changing these policies would:

Promote fairness and equality.
Respect the judgement of healthcare professionals.
Improve quality of life for children and adults with disabilities.
Help families care for their loved ones with dignity.
Reduce preventable complications such as infections, skin damage and avoidable hospital admissions.
Reduce pressure on families, carers and health services.
Ensure public resources are allocated according to genuine clinical need.
We Are Calling On Decision-Makers To:
Review and remove unnecessary age-based eligibility restrictions that prevent access to essential mobility support.
Ensure decisions are based on clinical need, medical evidence and recommendations from qualified healthcare professionals.
Introduce fair and consistent access to NHS continence products across the UK based on clinical need rather than age or postcode.
Ensure every child and adult is assessed individually according to their functional needs.
In Memory of Lila Maggie Dripps-Weir
This petition is more than a campaign.

It is our promise that Lila's life will continue to make a difference.

No family should have to fight unnecessary battles while caring for a child with profound disabilities and life-limiting conditions. No child should be denied essential support because they have not reached a certain age when the medical evidence clearly shows they need it.

By signing this petition, you are helping us honour Lila's memory and asking our Government and healthcare leaders to create a fairer, more compassionate system that puts clinical need before age.

Please stand with us and help create lasting change for every child and family who needs it.