A new regulatory report finds that children and young people in England are increasingly bearing the brunt of strain on health and social care services, even as wait times for many adults have begun to ease. The Care Quality Commission's annual State of Care report shows more than 80,000 children waiting over a year for community health appointments, a rate nearly 11 times higher than for adults.
What the data shows
According to the CQC, the number of children and young people waiting more than a year for community health services rose 129 percent in the two years to March 2026, even as comparable adult waiting lists shrank. Most of these delays involve community paediatric services, which evaluate suspected neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and ADHD, and which also support speech and language therapy, cerebral palsy care, genetic conditions, and hearing or vision impairments.
The report also documents a near doubling of average wait times for a first mental health service contact among young people, from 5.8 months in April 2023 to 12 months by March 2026. Monthly waiting list totals climbed 31 percent over two years, from 237,590 to 311,070 young people.
Clinical and family impact
Dr Ronny Cheung of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said community child health services support "some of the most vulnerable children outside of hospital settings," yet face some of the longest waits in the NHS. He noted that more than one in four children now wait over a year for treatment, warning that prolonged delays can let developmental and health conditions become more complex over time.
The report separately found hospital admission rates for bronchiolitis remain 50 percent higher than a decade ago, despite recent declines, alongside regional disparities in hospitalizations for paediatric asthma and diabetes, and elevated rates of severe tooth decay in some areas. A related review, the Fonagy review, concluded that rising psychological distress among young people is a genuine trend rather than simply a product of greater awareness, and warned of growing risk of misdiagnosis for ADHD and autism amid mismatched demand and service capacity.
Broader system pressures
CQC chairwoman Baroness Julia Neuberger said the findings reflect "a health and care system under real strain, but one where some things are also working well," pointing to improvements such as increased GP appointment availability and shorter elective waits for some adult services. She cautioned, however, that these gains are not keeping pace with demand everywhere, and that the same communities often bear the consequences repeatedly.
The CQC also flagged continuing concerns across the wider system, including delays for cancer patients after diagnosis, sustained pressure on emergency departments, and staffing shortages in general practice. The Department of Health and Social Care has been approached for comment.