Figures obtained through freedom of information (FOI) requests sent to all 151 primary care trusts (PCTs), and answered in full by 40 areas, show that 451 children had to wait between eight and 12 weeks to be assessed for wheelchair or specialist seating following their initial referral to the service, while 786 had to wait more than 12 weeks.
A further 358 children had to wait between 12 and 16 weeks to receive equipment following assessment and 504 had to wait more than 16 weeks.
This means that some children are potentially waiting more than three months to be assessed and a further four months to finally receive their equipment. If those figures were replicated nationally, it would mean almost 3,000 children wait more than three months to be assessed every year, while 3,300 have to wait more than three months to receive their equipment, almost 2,000 of which wait more than four months.
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