Better child healthcare needed in England

The health of children in England is being harmed by public sector cuts and ‘disjointed’ government policies, a report has found.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has published a follow-up to its State of Child Health report in which it says the government had failed to improve care in a number of ‘fundamental areas’, such as by banning junk food advertising.

It said the government had not made the same improvements as in Wales and Scotland.

The government said ‘world-leading plans’ for child health were in place.

But the RCPCH called for more to be done, including more preventative method, which had faced ‘destructive’ reductions.

Mena Modi, president of the RCPCH, said: “It is no good only throwing money at treating established problems.

"There must be far better investment in prevention, which will reap immeasurable long term benefits.”

Izzi Seccombe, Local Government Association, said: “Public health services play a vital role in improving the health of children, young people and adults, reducing the need for treatment later down the line and easing the pressure on the NHS.

"Unless this is properly funded, it will put services at risk which are vital in supporting the health and development of babies, children and families.”

Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow health secretary, said: "This report is a stark reminder that there are over two million children with health-related vulnerabilities being let down by an underfunded and overstretched health system.”

A government official said: “There is always more to do, but we have world-leading plans in place to safeguard child health by combating obesity, improving mental health and vaccinating against some of the world's deadliest diseases.

"In the past year, both teen pregnancy and child mortality have both fallen to all-time lows, and our soft drinks levy is already funding additional breakfast clubs and sports."