An Abergavenny man who had his right leg amputated in 2018 has successfully won a fight to improve access to better prosthetics in Wales thanks to a petition he started.

David Bradley urged the Welsh government to provide the same electronic joints as available on the NHS in the rest of the UK.

David’s petition received 561 signatures and was sent to the Senedd, and in March 2021 the then-Health Minister Vaughan Gething announced a £700,000 fund providing specialist Microprocessor Controlled Prosthetic Knees (MPK) to eligible patients in Wales.

The fund was made available from April 2021 and provided to three specialist Artificial Limb and Appliance Centres (ALAC) in Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham.

A former Health and Safety officer, David suffered an aneurysm in his right leg in 2018, and after several operations had his right leg amputated just above the knee.

Following the amputation, David was introduced to an Artifical Limb and Appliance Centre in Rookwood where they designed and fitted a prosthetic limb that through regular physiotherapy allowed David to walk again.

Speaking to the Chronicle about his reasons for starting the petition, David said: "Following my amputation I was given the best prosthetic that was available in Wales at the time, but I soon realised that had I been in England, or Scotland or Northern Ireland, then I would have had an electric joint that is so much better."

Microprocessor prosthetics provide better functionality and versatility than mechanical limbs which offer some resistance as the user walks.

NHS Scotland has provided microprocessor prosthetics to limb amputees for several years and NHS England since 2016.

In contrast the Welsh policy review had been outstanding since 2017.

David added: "Ministers in Wales had been saying they were going to review the policy but never had, and because of that, treatment in Wales had lagged behind the rest of the UK for almost a decade.

"For several years there has been a significant discrepancy with the type of prosthetics available to disabled people of Wales, and I wanted all amputees in Wales to be given the same

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opportunity as residents of the rest of the UK."

After originally being fitted with a mechanical limb following his amputation, David was fitted with a microprocessor prosthetic 13 months ago and has noticed a significant difference.

"It’s a massive difference, almost life-changing", said David.

"The old joint would cause so many problems that it would limit where you could go. The microprocessor provides more comfort and a greater freedom to enjoy life, as I can now go on more walks and exercise more regularly."

David now plays for the Dragons Wheelchair Rugby team, and is looking forward to returning to action with the team’s first competitive game taking place this Saturday in Bristol.

The team also recently received a sports development grant of £32,000 from Sports Council for Wales for new wheelchairs to be used by the team.

"I’m really enjoying the rugby, its brilliant to be involved in a team sport. I’ve met some great people since joining the club and its nice to have a connection with people who understand what you are going through."

David’s campaign has been widely commended by politicians and is now being used as a case study of how people in Wales can influence government policy.

Speaking about the funding he has helped provide, David said: "I was delighted because I knew how much this would mean for anyone in Wales with a prosthetic.

"I guess it’s a great example of what you can do if you focus, structure a good argument and gather support. You really can change things."