Community sector
1.12 m
people waiting for community services in April
71,870
CYP waited +52 weeks for community services in April
8.58m
care contacts recorded in March
Key points
- The community services waiting list continued to grow this month, reaching its highest level to date.
- CYP continue to face increasingly long waits for community services, with the number of waits exceeding 52 weeks hitting a new record. Long waits for adults have also worsened this month.
- Community services are under sustained pressure, with referrals above what was seen this time last year. Care contact activity has remained steady compared to a year ago.
- Our recent report, Providers Deliver: putting young people at the heart of care, showcases how trusts are reshaping care models to better meet the needs of CYP.
Waiting list
- The community services waiting list rose again in April 2025, reaching 1.12m people – breaking last month’s record figure. The waiting list is 4.4% larger than last year, reflecting sustained pressure across both adult and children’s services.
- The number of CYP waiting for community services reached a record high, with 322,510 CYP on the list in April, an increase of 14.3% compared to last year.
- Adult waits also increased in April, reaching a total of 799,350, similar to figures seen a year ago.
Figure 4
Community health services total reported waiting list
Long waits (over 52 weeks)
- Long waits of over 52 weeks for CYP community services more than doubled since last year. There are now 71,870 CYP waiting for 52 weeks or more - the highest number on record. Of these, over 17,200 CYP have been waiting for more than two years (104 weeks).
- For adults, long waits also grew in April. There were 12,580 adults waiting for more than 52 weeks for treatment, increasing by a quarter (26%) compared to the month before. This includes 1,304 adults facing delays of over 104 weeks for treatment in April.
Referrals and contacts
- Referral requests rose in March 2025 to 1.7 million, increasing by 5% since last year. Referrals have increased by 61% compared to five years ago, before the pandemic (March 2019).
- There were 8.58 million care contacts recorded in March - lower than January’s peak but broadly in line with levels seen this time last year, suggesting stable delivery despite ongoing pressures.
Figure 5
Total referrals received by community services
