Children with special needs are having to wait nearly three years for occupational therapy because of high demand for the service.

There are 162 children on the waiting list for the South Downs Health NHS Trust occupational therapy unit.

The unit provides support for under-19s who live in Brighton and Hove, Lewes, Newhaven and Chailey.

The five occupational therapists working in the service are currently at full stretch dealing with 235 cases.

This means each therapist is looking after 47 children - well above the recommended national guideline of 30.

The trust, which deals with more children than ever, expects to take 90 off the waiting list by the end of March but says high numbers of referrals are still coming in.

Bridget Morden, head of occupational therapy, says in a report to the trust board that her department expects to have 60 referrals for this financial year.

This means it could take up to five years to clear the waiting list.

The trust is considering bringing in another therapist, which would help bring the waiting list down to 12-weeks within two years.

It also plans to bring in more administrative support to give therapists more time to deal with cases.