Demand for weight-loss jabs and autism and ADHD assessments fuels sharp rise in NHS waiting lists
Demand for weight-loss jabs and autism and ADHD assessments has fuelled a sharp rise in NHS waiting lists for community treatment, a report reveals.
The size of the NHS community care waiting list for children in England has soared by 58 per cent since data began in 2022, compared with a 23 per cent increase for adults.
The most common reason adults are on the list is for musculoskeletal issues, such as bone, joint or muscle pain, with these accounting for 44 per cent of the waits.
But the largest percentage increase has occurred in weight management services for adults, with demand ballooning more than six-fold (512 per cent).
These provide patients with diet, nutrition and lifestyle advice to help them slim, increasingly alongside weight loss jabs.
The report, by the Nuffield Trust and the Health Foundation think tanks, said: ‘Although the absolute increase was not as high as for community paediatric or musculoskeletal services, the rapid change is worth noting, as it may relate to the recent surge in demand for GLP-1 medicines (weight-loss drugs) like Mounjaro and Ozempic for weight loss.’
More than half (55 per cent) of children and young people on the list are waiting for community paediatric services, which are for those with developmental problems or disabilities.
These services include neurodevelopmental assessments, such as diagnosing and managing autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Jessica Morris, a Nuffield Trust fellow and author of the report
The report, said: ‘This may partly explain the overall growth in the waiting list for children and young people’s services, as we have previously reported a surge in demand for referrals and assessments for these conditions.’
The study further found that 21 per cent of children and young people on the waiting list are waiting for speech and language therapy services, such as for patients with communication, eating, drinking and swallowing problems.
Some 6 per cent of children on the waiting list are waiting for physiotherapy, 6 per cent for audiology services and 6 per cent for occupational therapy.
Overall, waits for children and young people are much longer than for adults, with almost one in four waiting more than a year and one in 15 waiting over two years.
The report notes that the number of NHS staff has increased much more in hospitals than in the community.
Between 2010 and 2025, the number of nurses working in community settings increased by 1 per cent, while the number of adult hospital nurses increased by 42 per cent and children’s hospital nurses increased by 93 per cent.
Jessica Morris, a Nuffield Trust fellow and author of the briefing, said: ‘Children across the country are waiting far too long for the community care they desperately need.
‘For the families affected it can feel like life is on hold while they’re stuck waiting for support.
Carli Whittaker, head of nursing at the Royal College of Nursing
‘To take just one example, many children on the list are in urgent need of life-changing speech and language therapy because of difficulties with communicating or swallowing.
‘The increasing number of people living with long-term conditions together with our aging population mean that more and more people are likely to need support from community health services in the coming years.
‘The Government’s health plans recognise the importance of community services and include laudable aims to expand them, but our analysis shows how difficult realising that goal will be when existing community services are already on their knees.’
Carli Whittaker, head of nursing at the Royal College of Nursing, said: ‘This report highlights the devastating consequences of the ongoing failure to invest in community nursing, with workforce numbers nowhere near enough to meet demand.
‘Since 2009, the number of school nurses and health visitors alone have collapsed by a third, pushing waiting lists up and leaving children and young people without access to care.
‘It is unacceptable that a generation has been let down and now faces the prospect of long-term ill-health throughout their lives.
‘If ministers are serious about prevention and moving more care away from hospitals, the upcoming workforce plan must deliver significant and urgent investment in community nursing.
‘Only new and sustained investment can ensure there are enough expert community nurses embedded in every community, and that children and young people get the care they need.’
