Children in Powys are facing growing delays for vital community health services, according to a major report by paediatricians which highlights the scale of underinvestment across Wales.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) says children with complex needs are waiting longer than ever for help, warning that the situation is now "unsustainable".

In Powys, 1,109 children were waiting for neurodevelopmental services as of earlier this year - a 112 per cent increase since 2022. These services include assessments for conditions such as autism and ADHD. A further 119 children were on the waiting list for community paediatric services, according to figures obtained through Freedom of Information requests.

The report, Collaborative Healthcare in Wales: Delivering the Services Children Need in the Community, draws on data provided by all health boards in Wales and interviews with frontline clinicians. It found rising pressure across nearly all areas of community child health - from autism and ADHD assessments to safeguarding support and long-term care.

RCPCH Officer for Wales, Dr Nick Wilkinson, said: “Children and young people are too often overlooked, with services focused on adult pressures.

“Despite the Welsh Government’s aim to deliver care closer to home, community child health remains underfunded - with too few health visitors, continence nurses and speech and language therapists.

“These gaps have serious consequences, from poor school readiness to long-term health issues and we’re seeing the impact of this on all our services.”

The Welsh Government said it takes improving children’s health “seriously” and pointed to investment already being made.

A spokesperson said: “We’ve invested £50m to help health boards tackle waiting times and have seen great improvements in speech and language therapy and children’s mental health waits over the last 12 months.

“We’re currently investing £294m into health professional education and training in Wales and we continue to work with health boards to ensure that children are supported to have the best healthy start to life.”

But the report found that in some areas, demand had doubled or even increased tenfold in the past few years. In north Wales, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board recorded a 1,016 per cent rise in children waiting for community paediatric services since 2018.

Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, James Evans called the figures “shameful”.

“The RCPCH are right to call the situation ‘unsustainable’, we need to see these figures addressed, with staffing shortages clearly a key sticking point,” said the Brecon and Radnorshire MS.

“The Welsh Conservatives agree with the RCPCH, we need to see early years support invested in. We also need to see a substantial workforce plan brought forward to better tailor staffing needs and boost children’s specialist numbers across the Welsh NHS.”

The RCPCH is calling on the Welsh Government to deliver on its commitment to “care closer to home” by investing in early intervention, training more staff, and ensuring a coordinated, multi-agency approach to children’s care.

Powys Teaching Health Board has been approached for comment.