MORE than 100,000 babies and toddlers had waits of more than six hours in England’s A&Es last year, an NHS investigation has found.
The revelation was uncovered by a top cancer surgeon brought in by Labour to review the health service.
In a report out later this week Lord Ara Darzi will lay bare the shocking scale of the crisis facing our crumbling hospitals.
Lord Darzi is expected to say the NHS is in desperate need of reform, not just more cash.
Children’s health has deteriorated massively over the past decade, the peer will warn.
Waiting times for youngsters aged under two have risen by 60 per cent in 15 years.
Meanwhile, 800,000 children and young people are stuck on waiting lists, many waiting for mental health care.
And 35,000 have waited more than a year for treatment.
The report will say: “Too many are being let down.
“Childhood is precious because it is brief; too many children are spending too much of it waiting for care.
“It is apparent that the NHS must do better.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: “The impacts of a broken NHS are being felt across the whole of our society, our children included.
“The challenges we’ve inherited are stark, but I’m determined to fix the foundations so that we not only rebuild our health service, but crucially also reform and renew it for the benefit of future generations.
“That also means equipping the NHS to prevent ill health, not just to treat it, so that all of us can live longer, healthier lives, from childhood to old age.”
