'National crisis': thousands of children left waiting for months for wheelchairs

Thousands of children are facing long waits for vital wheelchairs as NHS rejections rise, and the UK's only charity has been forced to stop taking new patients due to a surge in demand.

- REBECCA THOMAS HEALTH CORRESPONDENT

Whizz Kids, the UK's leading charity for specialist wheelchair services, has warned patients are facing a “national crisis” after unprecedented pressure on its services has forced it to close to new referrals for the first time in over three decades.

The charity's leaders said demand has risen 12.5 per cent year on year because more children are being rejected by the NHS for specialist wheelchairs, which cost on average £4,800, due to cost concerns.

One of those children, Charlie Drinkwater, who has spina bifida and growth hormone deficiency, has been denied a specialist chair by the NHS for the past five years.

Although she is eight years old, she is the size of a two-year-old, and so she needs a specialist chair, which could cost up to £4,500. However, due to budget constraints, the NHS does not provide chairs for children under five, according to Whizz Kids. The NHS would only offer her a buggy.

Now, having grown out of the first chair provided by the charity, and having again been rejected by the NHS, Charlie's childhood is on hold while she waits for a new one.

She told The Independent: “I’m excited for my new chair because it’s going to be pink. But it makes me sad when it takes a long time.”