The government's goal of moving care from hospitals into neighbourhood health hubs is at risk because community services are under too much strain, the health and care regulator says.
In its annual report, the Care Quality Commission said waiting times were too long and staffing too stretched in areas such as mental health, GP care and social care.
The regulator said there was a real risk patients would suffer because these services would not able to cope with the extra demands.
But the government said investment was being made to address the pressures.
It raised a number of concerns about the current state of community services, including:
Long waits for mental health – with a third of adult patients reporting wiats of three months or more between first assessment and treatment, plus signs that waits for children are even worse.
Continued problems accessing GP services – with only half of patients finding it easy to get through on the phone.
A dramatic drop in district nurse numbers – with 50% fewer per person over 65 than there was 14 years ago.
The struggle to get state-funded social care - with the proportion of older people getting help from councils dropping to 3.6%, compared to over 8% 20 years ago.
Source: BBC News, 24 October 2025
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