A damning report brands the service 'poorly performing' and claims it is failing to meet demand at a 'critical level'.
Latest figures show 1,137 patients in the area, including people with broken limbs and those recovering from hip replacements, a
re on the waiting list at St Mary's Hospital, Milton.
A £248,000 cash injection in December enabled the service – provided by Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust – to slash waiting lists by employing temporary staff and laying on extra clinics.
But at least 21 patients are still waiting more than two years for a wheelchair from the Disablement Services Centre, according to a report compiled by the Portsmouth City Teaching Primary Care Trust.
Noel Morrow, from the PCT, said: 'Some patients are waiting more than two years for a wheelchair.
'We are concerned as no-one should have to wait that long.
'As far as we understand it the service is failing to meet demand at a critical level.
'A waiting list initiative earlier this year helped cut some waiting times, but referrals were still coming in and the waiting list as a whole was not dealt with.'
The PCT says it does not know the full extent of the problem as the hospitals trust has not provided accurate records.
The NHS now faces an uphill battle to ensure waiting times are reduced to 18 weeks by the end of December in line with government targets.
Mr Morrow added: 'We are working with the hospitals trust but the service needs to be redesigned.'
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust spokeswoman Pat Forsyth said: 'We don't believe it is a poor service.
'It is under pressure and great expectations are placed on the service by people who need it.
'These are bespoke pieces of expensive equipment which, in a patient's lifetime, will need regular review and sometimes replacement. It's an extremelycomplex service.'
The full article contains 339 words and appears in NS-Fareham & Gosport newspaper.
