Long delays in NHS care for children in England ‘creating forgotten generation’

Thousands of children’s lives are being ruined by shocking delays in NHS care lasting up to three years, a report warns, with a ‘forgotten generation’ facing long-term damage.

Research from NHS Providers shows that the health service is struggling to cope with the rapidly increasing demand for increasingly complex and acute care needs among children and young people.

Health leaders say the crisis in England is so severe there is now “deep concern” that lifelong, permanent damage is being caused by crippling delays in NHS care. Long waits for basic healthcare are disrupting children’s development, educational attainment and mental health, they revealed.

One trust reported that waiting times for autism assessments in children had increased from around 14 months before the Covid-19 pandemic to 38 months today. Children are also being forced to wait too long for essential speech therapy, hearing tests, medical treatment and surgery.

The report by NHS Providers, an organisation representing hospitals, communities, mental health and ambulance services in England, found that 82% of organisations surveyed were unable to meet current demand for services for children and young people.

“Too many young lives are being blighted by delays in access to essential NHS care,” said Sir Julian Hartley, the chief executive of NHS Providers. “We risk seeing a forgotten generation of young people.”

The investigation follows a series of reports in the Guardian highlighting the child health crisis in England.

In February, this newspaper reported that the number of children referred to emergency rooms for mental health care had increased by more than 50% in three years.

According to an analysis of NHS figures by the Guardian, the increase meant that more than 600 mentally ill children a week were deteriorating to a point of crisis.

In June, the newspaper reported that children were growing smaller, fatter and sicker amid an epidemic of poor nutrition, food insecurity and poverty, leaving millions facing a “time bomb” of preventable health problems.

It came after the Guardian revealed that Conservative ministers had been warned they would be putting children at risk of lifelong illness by shelving policies to tackle obesity and junk food until 2025. The policy went ahead anyway.

The new report from NHS Providers includes 134 responses from leaders across 95 trusts. Almost all (97%) said current levels of demand for children and young people’s services had increased compared to before the pandemic.

Of those surveyed, 86% said waiting times for access to an initial assessment had increased. The main challenges were the increasing complexity of children’s health conditions, the severity of those conditions and the inadequate services being ordered, they said.

Staff shortages were also cited as a major barrier to treating young people. Trusts said the failure to provide adequate care was also affecting staff morale and contributing to increasing health inequalities.

Most long-term health problems develop during childhood, the report found, with 75% of mental health problems developing before age 24, for example.

“Intervention during this period is therefore critical to improve health outcomes for children and young people, now, in the present and in the future, and to ensure healthy and thriving societies and populations in the long term,” the study said.

Hartley added: “Long waits for help have far-reaching consequences for a child’s social development, school readiness and educational attainment.

“Preventing ill health among children and young people is crucial to ensure that the next generation can live well, thrive and contribute to society and the economy.”

NHS leaders need more support to provide children with safe and timely healthcare, he said.

“That represents a rock-solid commitment from the new Government and NHS England that the physical and mental health of children and young people will be a priority, with the right number and mix of NHS staff to give them the care they need.”

Patricia Marquis, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing in England, said the crisis required “urgent intervention”.

“When NHS leaders say staff shortages are preventing them from delivering services to children, it is time for action,” she added.

David Fothergill, of the Local Government Association, said it was worrying to see so many children “not receiving the timely care they need”, especially because of the potential “long-term effects” on their future health and development.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “It is unacceptable that too many children and young people are not getting the care they deserve, and we know waiting times for services are far too long. We are determined to change that.”