Disabled children facing ‘national crisis’ as thousands wait months for wheelchairs
Children’s wheelchair charity halts new referrals due to lack of funds
- Whizz Kids, the UK's only charity providing specialist children's wheelchairs, has stopped accepting new referrals for the first time in over 30 years.
- The charity reports a 12.5 per cent year-on-year increase in demand, primarily due to rising NHS rejections of specialist wheelchairs for children, often citing budget constraints and strict eligibility criteria.
- This has left over 1,000 children waiting for vital equipment, with many experiencing discomfort, pain, and restricted independence.
- NHS data shows 1,676 children waited over three months for wheelchair services, and 1,700 were rejected for not “requiring equipment”, shifting the burden onto charities and families.
- Charity leaders are appealing for urgent funding to reopen services and address what they describe as a “systemic failure” of underfunded NHS provisions.