Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd and Clwyd West MS Darren Millar has warned that the number of children on waiting lists for neurodevelopmental assessment will skyrocket unless action is taken to tackle the problem. 

Questioning the Cabinet Secretary for Education in a meeting of the Welsh Parliament this week, Darren said the current waiting time for these assessments in North Wales is five years. 

Calling for action to improve the situation, he said:  

“One of the concerns that's been raised with me in north Wales is the waiting times for neurodevelopmental assessments. 

“We know from evidence that was given by the Minister for Mental Health and Well-being to committee that, currently, more than 20,000 children are on such waiting lists in Wales; and that's set to increase to 61,000 if no action is taken to get to grips with this challenge.

“The current waiting time for children in North Wales is five years. That is unacceptable, and such delays have a huge impact on a child if they're not getting the support while they're waiting for that assessment to be undertaken. 

“So, can I ask, you're not currently ring-fencing the money that you're giving to local education authorities for spending on schools; and you're not ring-fencing the money that's going to education authorities for additional learning needs, but is that something that you might consider in the future, in order to make sure that these children do benefit from it?”

Responding the Cabinet Secretary admitted that “the numbers of children and young people on Neurodevelopmental assessment waiting lists are a cause of major concern for us across the Government”.

She added: 

“Additional money was announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Health to really focus on those waiting times, and my colleague Sarah Murphy had also announced that there was a design event, where we worked with the NHS executive before Christmas to look at what we can do about those waiting times for ND services. 

“Because the numbers are so large, I think there is an acknowledgement that we can't keep doing the same thing - we need to take a different approach to that situation.”

Speaking after the meeting, Darren said: 

“I’m pleased that the Cabinet Secretary recognises that things need to be done differently. We can’t keep failing these children and young people in this way.”