Why are waiting lists so long?

Waiting lists in the UK have become a real concern, with many families facing prolonged delays.

Several factors contribute to these extended waiting times:

Increased Demand: There’s been a notable rise in referrals for assessments. (Garry/Steve, can we get some figures here on how referrals have increased to comm paeds? percentage wise over the last say 2 years?)

Insufficient Resources: The surge in demand hasn’t been matched by resources. Specialist services are working harder than ever and dealing with more complex presentations and more appointments are needed, leading to longer waiting times. Across the UK there are reported average waits of over a year for assessments, with certain areas experiencing waits of up to two and a half years.

System Challenges: The current assessment system struggles to keep pace with rising demand. Alot of information from a wide partnership is needed to make evidence-based assessments and robust diagnoses, this all takes time to gather to produce a good picture of needs for a child or young person.

We know these delays can have huge impacts on children, young people and their families. We hope to be able to support our families within Walsall with our Virtual Waiting Room and Supported Waiting partnership network meetings.

Please continue to check back as this webpage is under construction and more content will be added soon.