Mandate a maximum 12-week wait for SEN children requiring urgent dental care under sedation or general anaesthetic. Provide emergency funding to increase surgical capacity and ensure Integrated Care Boards are held accountable for delays that leave vulnerable children in prolonged pain.

When a non-verbal child has to wait months for urgent care such as for a dental abscess, the pain can be an invisible torture that can restrict an already limited diet and cause extreme distress. We believe it is a failure of care that SEN children are left in agony due to systemic delays. These children cannot wait over a year for basic relief. As parents we are our children’s voice, and we are demanding that no child be forced to endure months of preventable, unbearable pain.