80,000 children wait over a year for NHS community care, almost 11 times the number of adults

The number of children waiting more than a year rose 129 per cent in the two years to March 2026, even as adult long waits fell. The Care Quality Commission's annual State of Care report says children are being 'hit hardest' by soaring demand and falling staff numbers. Most delays are in community paediatric services assessing suspected autism and ADHD. Experts called it 'wholly unacceptable'.

Over the two years to March 2026, the number of children yet to receive a first mental health appointment climbed by almost a third.

School nurse and health visitor numbers keep falling despite rising demand.

Bronchiolitis hospital admissions remain half again as high as they were ten years ago.