Revealed: record 403,000 children waiting for surgery

Hospitals are failing to tackle spiralling children's surgery waiting lists as the backlog hits more than 400,000 for the first time.

- REBECCA THOMAS

Leaked documents show children's waiting lists for both inpatient and outpatient care are "increasing at double the rate of adults" and, despite efforts, services have failed to catch up after they were paused during the pandemic.

NHS leaders have repeatedly raised concerns about the backlog amid warnings that services for young people have been "deprioritised" to cut adult lists.

One NHS leader warned that the long waits would be likely to affect some children's "ability to lead full and active lives" and worsen existing inequalities between adult and children's care.

Leaked documents seen by The Independent show: .

• 70 per cent more adults were seen for scans and diagnostic tests in 2022 compared to children.
• The rate of children's surgery is 15 per cent lower compared to adults in the worst performing area - the east of England.
• Between September 2021 to March 2022, the number of children waiting more than 78 weeks for hospital care increased by 43 per cent compared to 21 per cent for adults.

The news comes as the NHS' waiting list for children reached 403,000 for the first time on Thursday and as the overall waiting list figure in England hit a record 7.3 million. However, the figure for children will likely hide the true scale of the waits as it does not include all specialities and community services where there was a waiting list of more than 200,000 in October.