Record number of sick children as NHS situation worsens in England
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In February, data from the UK's NHS revealed that the backlog of children receiving medical care increased by 50% over the past two years.
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A patient is taken into an ambulance outside the Royal London Hospital in east London on January 4, 2023. (AP)
Doctors in England are warning that children's health issues are worsening as a record proportion of them wait up to 18 months for NHS care.
According to the RCPCH's analysis of performance data by the NHS, the number of under-18s on the pediatric waiting list in England has risen to 423,500, the most on record. Of those, 23,396 have had to wait more than a year for an appointment.
Wait times are a notorious issue in Britain, and in April, the NHS doubled the wait times for cancer patients. The goal that all patients should see a specialist within two weeks of an urgent GP referral for cancer diagnostics is set to be dropped, according to NHS England's proposals to streamline cancer targets.
In February, data from the UK's NHS revealed that the backlog of children receiving medical care increased by 50% over the past two years.
Figures indicated that 364,000 children are waiting their turn to receive treatment, while another 200,000 are in urgent need of medical care.
One source told The Independent that they believe the backlog had risen by 70% in some specialties over the past two years.
Children 'forgotten casualties'
Delays have become so widespread that Dr Jeanette Dickson, leader of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the professional organization representing all UK physicians, has warned that children are "the forgotten casualties of the NHS's waiting list crisis."
Less than 57% of children are being seen within 18 weeks, and the number of children on waiting lists has jumped by 52% since 2021.
Dr. Camilla Kingdon, the president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) claims she has seen the damage "firsthand," and how it affects children's overall wellbeing.
Kingdon added that "Many treatments and interventions must be administered within specific age or developmental stages. No one wants to wait for treatment, but children’s care is frequently time-critical."
She gave the example of children who had hearing issues, and how it was critical for language development to get cochlear implants at around one year of age.
Delays an "absolute disaster"
She also recalled how one baby who needed a special occupational therapy chair for his cerebral palsy had to wait six months to receive it, calling it an "absolute disaster."
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson alleged that the government is tackling the long wait times and taking "immediate action."
The report emphasizes the government's contentious choice to publish a strategy addressing a wide range of significant health issues and is mainly focused on adult health.
Ministers were also criticized for abandoning obesity plans and vaccination plans.
The report urges UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to create a cabinet-level minister for children and young people, offer free school meals to all primary school pupils, ramp up vaccination efforts, and expand mental health services for under-18s as part of a renewed drive to improve child health and prevent illness.
