英国医疗质量委员会最新年度报告揭示，英国儿童在NHS社区卫生服务中面临历史上最严重的等待时间危机1。报告显示，8万名儿童和年轻人等待超过一年才能获得预约1，这一数字是等待相同时长成人患者的近11倍1。超过四分之一的儿童等待超过一年才能获得治疗1，反映出该系统对儿童需求的应对能力严重不足。
医疗人员短缺加剧了这一困境。健康访视员和学校护士的数量"继续下降"1，而儿童的医疗需求却在激增，导致患者健康状况恶化且疾病变得更难治疗。报告指出存在"不合理的差异"和"持续的不平等"1。皇家儿科和儿童健康学院主席罗尼·张医生对此表态称，这种局面"完全不可接受"1。
尽管一些成人等待时间有所改善，但政府卫生和社会护理部门表示，当前挑战反映了"该政府在2024年当选时继承的困难规模"1。
A year-on-year surge in waiting times for children accessing NHS community health services has reached historic levels, according to a recent annual report from Britain's health quality regulator.1 The crisis has become particularly acute for young patients, with 80,000 children and young people waiting over a year for appointments—a figure that is nearly 11 times higher than adult numbers.1 More than a quarter of all children awaiting treatment face delays exceeding 12 months, reflecting systemic strain across the health service's pediatric care capacity.1
The deterioration stems from a combination of workforce shortages and mounting demand.1 Health visiting and school nursing roles have "continued to decline," exacerbating gaps in early intervention and preventative care for young patients.1 This workforce depletion has forced children's health to deteriorate further while conditions become increasingly difficult to treat, compounding long-term health outcomes.1 The report identifies "unjustifiable disparities" and "persistent inequalities" in access to pediatric services across the country.1
Medical leaders have expressed alarm at the findings. Dr. Ronnie Zhang, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, described the situation as "completely unacceptable."1 The government's Department of Health and Social Care acknowledged the challenges as reflecting the scale of difficulties it inherited upon taking office in 2024.1
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