Drive Ability North West

06/09/2025

We help hundreds of children with disabilities get out and about with free car seat and harness assessments 💙

Contact us at:

📲 0300 300 1100
💻 http://bridgewater.nhs.uk/drive

01/09/2025

✨⭐Monday Motivation!⭐✨

👋 Meet David who recently attended Drive Ability North West following a stroke 🧠 which initially affected both his physical and cognitive abilities.

After his first assessment with us, David was advised to have a period of further recovery before revisiting driving. Undeterred by this David later returned to us after making improvement with his cognitive function. Working with our assessment team at this stage allowed suitable adaptations to be identified to overcome his physical difficulties. ✅ 🥳

Following a period of tuition 🚘 to develop his driving skills and adjust to the adaptations, David returned to us for the final time and is now safe to drive independently again! 👏🏼🙌🏼What an amazing result 🎉

🗣️Here is what David had to say about the assessment process;

🤩 "A driving assessment isn't to stop people driving, it’s to enable them to regain their independence and ensure safety for them and others"

🤩"This was a very positive experience and failure was never felt. Feedback was given in a kind and encouraging way"

Get in touch for more information on how we can help you 😀

28/08/2025

❓ Have you had a recent diagnosis of Dementia and are unsure of how this will impact upon your driving?

◾️ Our team are here to help you keep driving safely for as long as possible, and support you when the time comes to stop driving.

◾️ Contact us on the information below to find out how we can help;

📱 0300 300 1100

💻 https://bridgewater.nhs.uk/drive-ability-north-west/

Driving relies on a mix of mental abilities which need to be undertaken quickly, safely and consistently. In the early or mild stages of the condition, the person may still be able to drive safely as driving is a well learned skill.

27/08/2025

Struggling to get out and about? 🤔

Get your freedom back, with a mobility scooter 🛵

Contact us for free assessment and advice:

📲 0300 300 1100
💻 www.bridgewater.nhs.uk/drive

20/08/2025

Find it hard to get out and about❓

If your child has a disability or challenging behaviour, we can help with a free car seat and harness assessment ✅

📲 0300 300 1100
💻 www.bridgewater.nhs.uk/drive

18/08/2025

🌟✨Monday Motivation!!✨🌟

Last week we helped Stephen find a solution to get him back on the road!! 🚘 ✅ Stephen has had both legs amputated below the knee and is going to return to driving using hand controls. 🙌🏼

🗣️ Feedback from Stephen: “What a fantastic help these people are. The assessment was absolutely brilliant. I am really happy with the solution found for me and would strongly recommend this service!” 😃

He attended at the Preston Specialist Mobility Rehabilitation Centre who very kindly allow us to run an outreach service here on a Tuesday! 🤩

If you or someone you know want to explore options for returning to driving after an amputation, get in touch! 👋🏼

📞 0300 300 1100
🧑‍💻 www.bridgewater.nhs.uk/drive-ability-north-west/

17/08/2025

Need support getting back on the road after a ? 🚘

We can help ✅

For free driving support and assessment:

📲 0300 300 1100
💻 www.bridgewater.nhs.uk/drive

15/08/2025

🥳😁Happy Friday!!😁🥳

Meet our team who are settling in and ready to meet you in our new home 🏡

After two weeks of assessments we are fully up and running and looking forward to meeting you all soon at our new centre in St Helens😀 👋🏼

Our new address is:

🏡193 Newton Road, St Helens, WA9 2JR.

📞 0300 300 1100

Don't hesitate to get in touch and one of our friendly team will be happy to help! 🤩

11/08/2025

✨ 🌟Monday Motivation: Sharing words and experience from our client, Lynne! 🌟✨

Lynne has dementia and recently attended for her second driving assessment. 🚘 She is keen to continue with regular driving assessments for monitoring to ensure that she only continues to drive if she is safe to do so. ✅

📣 Feedback from Lynne:🗣️ "As I have dementia, I’m aware that my mental functioning isn’t as reliable as it once was; so, I was glad of this comprehensive test. I feel that these checks serve many purposes, safety being uppermost of course, but the confidence it gives that you’re actually safe behind the wheel is huge and additionally it serves as a ‘reality check’. It certainly helped me towards my acceptance of something that I cannot change however, I am determined to deal with it positively, responsibly and realistically … The staff made the process straightforward and easy. I’d absolutely recommend anyone to have the assessment and approach it with an open mind and positive intent because these wonderful people demonstrate the very best of all-round professional skill and care whilst carrying out their jobs which, after all, are for the safety of us all..”

Thanks for sharing Lynne!


🧐If you or someone you know has dementia, get in touch to arrange an assessment of driving safety. We also offer a review assessment service to reflect ongoing cognitive changes that may affect driving safety in the future. 🤝

📞 0300 300 1100

07/08/2025

✨ Today is National Opportunity Day‼️✨

Did you know❓🤔💭
There are many driving adaptations available to help with overcoming or alleviating physical difficulties! 🙌🏼👏🏼 🥳

If you are experiencing pain, weakness, sensory changes, coordination difficulties or other physical symptoms... we might be able to help! 💡🤩🤞🏼

Get in touch to arrange an assessment to explore driving adaptations to improve your independence, comfort, confidence and safety on-road! ✅🚘🛣️

📞 0300 300 1100
🧑‍💻 www.bridgewater.nhs.uk/drive-ability-north-west/

07/08/2025

🚨 We have a new address and phone number ‼️🚨

🏡193 Newton Road, St Helens, WA9 2JR.

📞 0300 300 1100

05/08/2025

Today we attended the Speakeasy support group at Ramsbottom to answer questions relating to stroke/brain injury, aphasia and driving! 🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️

Speakeasy is a charity dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by aphasia. The support, understanding and passion from staff, members and carers really shone through during the meeting today. ✨Thank you for the warm welcome. 💗😊

How can aphasia affect driving ❓🧐
🧠 Route planning and navigation skills🚏🗺️
🧠 Responding to and understanding road signs and markings ⛔️🚦
🧠 Responding to other drivers and emergency personnel 👮‍♂️ 🗣️
🧠 Speed of processing with visual 👁️ and auditory👂 information

How can we help❓ 🤗
✅ We can assess if someone with aphasia is safe to return to driving.
✅ We can explore adaptations for those who also have physical impairments.
✅ We can adapt our communication to aid understanding to meet individual needs during the assessment process.

➕much more!

Please contact us for more information:
📞 0300 300 1100
🛜 www.bridgewater.nhs.uk/drive-ability-north-west/