Recurring concern
Unreliable management of clinical waiting lists
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Request correctionFirst reported 24 May 2016•Latest report 1 May 2025
What this concern includes
Includes failures in the end-to-end management of clinical waiting lists, including list oversight, prioritisation, progress monitoring, review of prolonged waits, escalation of capacity problems and reassessment or rerouting when the existing pathway is no longer appropriate.
Not included
- Excludes ordinary appointment or referral delays where no clinical waiting-list management deficiency is identified.
- Excludes failures to provide treatment or specialist care after a waiting-list process has operated reliably, unless the waiting-list management itself is deficient.
- Excludes generic staffing, funding or capacity problems that are not directly tied to managing, monitoring, prioritising or escalating clinical waiting lists.
- Excludes named pathway-specific waiting-list concerns where that pathway provides a narrower supported boundary, unless the assertion also identifies a wider clinical waiting-list management failure.
- Reports
- 8
- Individual concerns
- 9
- Date range
- 2016–2025
- Stated actions
- 5
Distinct published reports
A report can raise multiple concerns
First to latest report issue date
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
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Concerns raised1
Delays in patient reviews and treatments
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Lack of monitoring and review of patients on routine or urgent waiting lists
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Insufficient capacity to safely assess and re-prioritise urgent CAMHS waiting-list patients
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
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Action
Invest in the CYPMH workforce and expand NHS mental health support access for children and young people.
Stated by NHS England -
Action
Recruit 8,500 additional staff across children’s and adult mental health services.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
NHS England will address concerns about the keeping in touch team in its response to the report.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care
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Concerns raised1
Failure to robustly manage the list of children waiting for replacement devices
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Failures and delays in maintaining and re-referring patients on the Priory waiting list
This report raised 15 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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Action
Review the Greater Manchester adult eating disorder pathway and revise protocols and collaboration arrangements.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care -
Action
Broaden the children and young people’s eating disorder working group into an all-age group addressing transitions and consistent referral pathways.
Stated by NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board -
Action
Implement the expanded adult eating disorder service to provide medical monitoring, specialist treatment, consultation and coordinated pathways.
Stated by NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care Board
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Concerns raised1
Lack of a clear clinician escalation and prioritisation system for OGD lists and patient need when OGD capacity is unavailable
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Failure of escalation mechanisms to enable early action on excessive CBT waiting lists
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised2
Failure to ensure procedures prioritise high-risk patients on psychological therapy waiting lists
Failure to manage waiting lists for individual psychological therapy safely
This report raised 3 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Data last updated 7 September 2026