Labour have left more than 40,000 children waiting for vital NHS care despite claims to be shifting treatment "from hospital to community", it has been claimed. The number of kids waiting for community health services has climbed by over 14% since Sir Keir Starmer swept into No10, with 323,826 youngsters now stuck on lists for specialist support.

The services include care for babies with developmental delays and neurodisabilities, speech therapy and physiotherapy. The shocking figures will come as an embarrassment to Mr Streeting, who has repeatedly claimed that moving care "from hospital to community" is a key part of his strategy.

Shadow Health Secretary Stuart Andrew said: "Labour made big promises in opposition, but are now finding the reality of office is much harder." He added: "Despite repeated claims to be prioritising a shift from hospital to community, we are seeing more people waiting for community health services, with children being worst affected."

Mr Andrew said: "Any talk of waiting lists being cut will ring hollow to the thousands more people waiting for vital community services."

Explosive new analysis seen by the Daily Express has shown community waiting lists have skyrocketed under Labour, hitting children's services the hardest. The latest available data shows there are 323,826 children waiting for community services, up by over 40,000, or over 14%, since Labour entered won their landslide vicory in July 2024.

Adult services, including support for diabetes, heart failure and motor neurone disease as well as physiotherapy, podiatry and occupational therapy, have also seen waiting lists rise under Labour, up by over 5% since they took office. Moving care "from hospital to community" is one of the "three big shifts" Mr Streeting claims to underpin his approach.

The Health Secretary said in November 2024: "By now you will be familiar with the three big shifts that will underpin our 10-year plan for health: from hospital to community; from analogue to digital; from sickness to prevention."

He added: "These shifts are not radical new ideas, but delivering them truly would be."

But the figures show his flagship policy is going backwards, with more children and adults waiting for community care than when Labour took power. In June 2024, 283,369 children were waiting for community health services. By December 2025, this had risen to 323,826 - an increase of 40,457 children, or 14.3%.

Adult waiting lists rose from 783,621 to 824,131 over the same period - an increase of 40,510, or 5.2%.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We are reforming the health service to shift its focus from hospital to community. It will take time to fix after more than a decade of decline, but we have a plan to modernise the NHS."