Concerns have been raised after hundreds of people waiting for a wheelchair within the North East have been left for over four months to get one from the NHS.
New figures have laid bare the issues with those needing the equipment, but NHS Trusts from across the region have recognised the frustrations involved with waiting times.
There is a target in place for patients to be assessed and wheelchairs to be delivered to them within 18 weeks of a referral - but thousands of patients across England were forced to wait for longer.
But charities in the region have said that this issue "isn't new" and long waiting times have always been a thing across the North East.
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NHS England figures show 511 out of 4,388 new and re-referred patients did not receive a wheelchair in the North East and north Cumbria within the target time between April and June this year.
Of those, 93 were children aged under 19.
It meant 88 per cent received equipment within 18 weeks or less.
Gordon Pybus, Chairman of the Darlington Association on Disability, has said that there are more complex factors to think about associated with waiting times, including each assessment and people's needs for a wheelchair.
He said: "I initially thought to myself - what's new? I got a wheelchair 25-26 years ago, and there were still major wait times back then.
"It's all about finding the right chair for the right person, and it's inevitable that it would take time."
There were 646 adults and children assessed as high-need patients in the North East and North Cumbria, who are fully dependent on a wheelchair for all mobility needs.
Of those, 101 waited longer than four months to receive the equipment.
This was more than the same three-month period last year when 94 experienced the delay.
In response, the NHS North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board said it has addressed the issues and highlighted that it is working with service providers to improve the waiting times significantly.
A spokesperson for the Integrated Care Board said: "We recognise how frustrating it can be for a patient having to wait too long for a wheelchair.
"There are many factors that affect the waiting time, such as special adaptations, manufacturing time scales, and urgency of need.
"We are working with our service providers to look at ways to further improve and reduce the number of people needing to wait 18 weeks or more."
In contrast, across England, there was a slight improvement from last year's figures, with 82 per cent of children and 86 per cent of adults having received wheelchairs within 18 weeks or less.
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The numbers stood at 80 per cent and 85 per cent, respectively, during the same period of 2022.
Sarah Pugh, CEO of charity Whizz Kidz said: “We fear that the inconsistencies in services will only get worse without a step change in understanding how to fund services effectively.”
She added the cost-of-living crisis has made it 20 per cent more expensive for the charity to provide children with wheelchairs.
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