More than 80,000 children face year-long waits for community NHS care

Children and young people are experiencing some of the steepest increases in NHS waiting times in England, with more than 80,000 waiting over a year for community health services, the Care Quality Commission has found.

The regulator’s annual State of Care report recorded 81,986 children and young people waiting longer than 12 months in March 2026, almost 11 times the equivalent number of adults. The number of children enduring waits of this length has increased by 129% in two years, while long waits among adults have fallen.

Many of those affected require community paediatric care for developmental conditions, disabilities or complex health needs. These services also support children with cerebral palsy, sensory impairments and genetic conditions, alongside those who need speech and language therapy. Delays can allow conditions to become more difficult to treat and cause children to miss important opportunities in their health, education and development.

Pressure is also growing in children’s mental health care. The average wait for a first contact increased from 5.8 months in April 2023 to 12 months in March 2026, while the number waiting rose by 31% over two years. At the same time, CQC said numbers of health visitors and school nurses were continuing to decline despite increasing demand.

The report found signs of improvement elsewhere in health and social care, including shorter waits for some planned adult treatments. However, it warned that progress was failing to keep pace with demand and that access to timely care still varied considerably according to where people lived.

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