A charity has called for “urgent action” over waiting lists for assessments of neurodevelopmental conditions in Wales.
Welsh neurodiversity charity AP Cymru says there is a “growing crisis” after it was revealed waiting lists could triple in the next two years.
AP Cymru chief executive Karen Mills says children in Wales are missing out on vital support because of lengthy waits for assessments
Neurodevelopmental conditions include autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities.
Lists could rise to 60,000
Wales’s mental health minister Sarah Murphy has said assessment waiting lists could rise to between 41,000 and 61,000.
Murphy told the Welsh parliament’s children’s committee that 20,770 children were waiting for a neurodevelopmental assessment in September last year.
By comparison, just 4,100 children were waiting for an assessment in 2021.
Waiting times of more than two years
Karen Mills is AP Cymru chief executive. She said waiting times in some parts of Wales can stretch beyond two years.
Mills added: “This has a profound impact on families, leaving parents and carers feeling unsupported and children missing out on crucial support.”
Up to 80 per cent of the children in Wales should get an assessment within 26 weeks, according to a Welsh government target.
Wait should only be 13 weeks
Guidelines set by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) state that people should wait only half as long as this — 13 weeks.
Reports suggest the 80 per cent target has not been met across Wales since it was brought in almost 10 years ago.
Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England, published a report last October. It found children in England waited an average of two years and three months to gain a diagnosis.
Investment to tackle waiting times
A spokesperson for the Welsh Government said it has invested £12 million to help find “new ways of working to tackle waiting times”.
In November, a further £3 million was announced to cut long waits for children’s neurodevelopmental assessments, added the spokesperson.
Related:
Published: 1 February 2025
