Children are facing some of the “sharpest increases” in healthcare waiting times despite improvements in delays for adults, a new report has revealed.

Across England, more than 80,000 children and young people are waiting longer than a year for community health services – a figure almost 11 times higher than for adults, according to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

The health regulator also highlighted growing delays for youth mental health services, alongside an ongoing decline in school nurses and health visitors despite rising demand.

Hospital admission rates for bronchiolitis – a leading reason children require hospital treatment – remain 50 per cent higher than a decade ago, despite recent two-year declines.…