The Nuffield Trust says that the size of the community care waiting list for children has increased by 58% since data began in 2022.
Children are facing unacceptably long waits for NHS community services that deliver care closer to home, including for paediatric services that help children with developmental problems or disabilities.
Almost a quarter of children spend more than a year on the waiting list, and one in 15 wait over two years, according to a new briefing on growing waits for community care by the Nuffield Trust.
The analysis found that the size of the community care waiting list for children has increased by 58% since data began in 2022, compared with a 23% increase for adults. More than half of children and young people on the waiting list are waiting for community paediatric services (55%) – that includes support for developmental problems and diagnosing and managing conditions like autism and ADHD – and 21% are waiting for speech and language therapy services.
“Children across the country are waiting far too long for the community care they desperately need,” said Nuffield Trust fellow and author of the briefing, Jessica Morris
“For the families affected, it can feel like life is on hold while they’re stuck waiting for support. To take just one example, many children on the list are in urgent need of life-changing speech and language therapy because of difficulties with communicating or swallowing,” she continued.
A wake-up call
Government targets have focused on reducing long waits for hospital treatment, but the overall community care list – which stands at almost 1.2 million – has received much less attention, argues the Nuffield Trust.
As part of the 10 Year Health Plan, the government has ambitions to shift more care from hospitals into communities, but the briefing shows how existing community services are already struggling to keep up with demand.
In a health system where targets tend to increase visibility of key issues, there are limited national targets for services, with most focusing on hospitals. To begin to tackle the issues around neglected community services, the authors say that introducing a waiting time target should be considered, to draw attention to how they are coping. As the government says community services and neighbourhood health are a priority, this needs to come with a shift in resources, along with realistic workforce and service plans to drive faster access for patients and reduce variation across local areas.
“This report should be a wake-up call for the government,” said Luisa Pettigrew, senior policy fellow at The Health Foundation.
“Waiting lists for community services are a major problem, with too many people, including children, waiting far too long for vital care. If the government is serious about moving care from hospitals to the community and from sickness to prevention, then addressing long waits in community care is crucial,” she continued.
