Healthwatch responds to the State of Care Report
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) warns that the NHS and social care services risk “failing the future” if children and young people don’t get the care they need.
The State of Care report highlights that many children and young people are not currently getting the support they need and are facing delays to important treatments, which could affect their quality of life and have long-term consequences for their health and wellbeing.
Commenting on the report, Chris McCann, Healthwatch England's Deputy Chief Executive said:
"This report makes for disturbing reading and reflects what many people, especially parents and young people, are telling us about problems accessing care and the impact this can have.
"When it comes to dental care, these issues are particularly acute. Parents have told us that their school-aged children have never seen an NHS dentist due to a lack of available appointments. Some are told their child can only be treated under the NHS if the parent registers as a private patient. We have alerted NHS England, urging them to remind dentists that this is a breach of their contract.
"A child experiencing untreated dental problems cannot eat, sleep, or properly concentrate in class. Fundamental changes to NHS dentistry are needed urgently to improve access and prevent a new generation from living with poor oral health throughout their adulthood.
"The CQC findings also confirm experiences shared with us about other issues, such as the long waits for ADHD assessments. A problem which is highlighted by the story of one mother who sought help for her child in year three, but support didn't start until his second year of secondary school.
"It is essential that the NHS does all it can to speed up access for patients and reduce the impact that long waits have on people's mental and physical health.
"However, we also need long-term solutions. The government consultation on the NHS's ten-year plan provides an opportunity to turn the corner on long waits for care. We'd urge everyone, especially parents and young people, to share their views and help shape the healthcare system for the future."
Healthwatch agrees with the CQC’s findings about ongoing problems for disabled or frail people to access timely and adequate personal care at home to help them with daily tasks, stay independent or recover from recent operations or illness. These insights echo Healthwatch England research that estimates there are up to 1.5 million working-age disabled people in England who could be eligible for social care support but are not accessing it.
