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Thousands of children in England are enduring prolonged delays exceeding a year while waiting for NHS community care services, including speech and language therapy, hearing support, and assistance for disabilities, according to a BBC investigation. Of the 300,000 young people currently on waiting lists, about 25% have been waiting for over 12 months. NHS officials and medical professionals have described these delays as “catastrophic,” emphasizing the serious damage they cause to children’s health and development. They urge that addressing these extensive wait times should receive the same level of attention as the efforts to reduce hospital backlogs.
The government acknowledges that these extended waiting periods are unacceptable but maintains that its 10-year NHS plan, which promises increased investment in community services, will help improve access over time. Meanwhile, stories from families highlight the real impact of these delays. For example, Tiya Currie from London experienced immense frustration trying to secure speech therapy for her six-year-old son, Arun, who has struggled with speech since toddlerhood. After facing a series of “waiting list after waiting list,” she and her husband resorted to spending £4,000 privately to obtain a diagnosis of developmental language disorder (DLD) and therapy, which has significantly aided Arun’s progress.
The situation has worsened sharply over the past three years, with a sixfold increase since early 2023 in the number of children waiting more than a year—now totaling over 77,500. In contrast, only 1% of adults in community services face waits of this length. While the data specifically addresses England, similar lengthy waits have been reported across other parts of the UK as well. Children with complex needs, including learning disabilities, physical disabilities, or those awaiting autism and ADHD assessments, are among the most affected. Elliot Howard-Jones, chair of the Robinson Group that represents specialist community NHS services, expressed deep concern over the developmental harm caused by these delays, explaining how waiting can leave children falling behind their peers indefinitely.
Senior NHS leaders have highlighted chronic underinvestment as a key factor behind these growing backlogs. Richard Kirby, chair of the NHS Confederation and NHS Providers’ community network, pointed out that demand for care far exceeds available capacity, meaning many children remain waiting and continue to fall further behind. Dr Ronny Cheung of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health described the impact as potentially catastrophic, noting that many treatments need to be administered during specific developmental stages to avoid lasting harm. Disability charity Sense’s head of policy, Kate Lawson, added that many families face distressing struggles in obtaining necessary support and frequently pay privately as a result. The Department of Health and Social Care stated it finds the wait times unacceptable and is implementing new targets aimed at ensuring community health services see patients within 18 weeks, alongside plans to increase investment and improve service delivery through better staffing and integrated care as part of the government’s long-term NHS vision
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