Sign our letter to ask the Health Secretary to ensure children are at the centre of the 10 Year Health Plan
Our campaign
The UK Government has recently announced its priority on health is reduing the elective backlog. While important, we know there are challenges across our child health services that can’t be neglected. Whether hospital backlogs, worsening mental health, or stretched community services, we need to make clear children's health and wellbeing (and the services and workforce who support this) cannot be an afterthought.
Our ask is simple.
For Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and Amanda Pritchard, NHS England CEO, to give us an assurance that children, young people and child health services are specifically considered through the 10 Year Health Plan.
We need your help to do this.
As the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England (NHSE) develop the 10 Year Health Plan, now is the perfect opportunity to remind the the DHSC and NHSE leadership not to forget about children and the child health workforce. Our collective voice has influenced government's before but we need as many of you to sign as possible.
Get involved.
All you need to do is to read the open letter, add your details below and click sign to help use our collective voice to get heard.
Please note that while anyone can sign this e-action, it is targeted at the UK Government about specific matters in England. RCPCH Members in other nations of the UK will be targeted specifically for feedback on priorities on child health and health serices for devolved election manifestos to devolved electoral timelines.
Read the letter to Wes Streeting and Amanda Pritchard
Dear Mr Streeting and Ms Pritchard,
The Darzi Review has highlighted the critical challenges facing child health services and the alarming state of children's health and wellbeing. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) urgently calls for an NHS that equitably considers the needs of children and young people. Your government has been bold on smoking and is taking much-needed action on obesity, but despite welcome rhetoric, the health of children who need the NHS now risks being an afterthought.
We are writing to you today to seek assurances that children, young people and child health services are specifically considered through the 10 Year Health Plan.
Imagine being a parent watching your child suffer while waiting months for a crucial medical appointment. No child should endure such delays, and no parent should feel helpless. Unfortunately, the government's current approach risks repeating the same mistakes that have led to too many children and parents facing this very scenario. The 10 Year Health Plan consultation heavily favours adult services. Elsewhere, while funding for elective recovery is welcome, it is unclear what proportion oft this will be used to address long waits in children’s services. It is likely much of this will be used in adult services as a result.
It is no surprise 41% of children have to wait 18 weeks or more for an elective appointment nor that 49.6% of children waiting for community services are not being seen within the target. In comparison, 15.8% of adults wait longer than 18 weeks. Paediatricians and the wider child health workforce are working tirelessly to provide safe and high-quality services for children, but they need greater support.
The 10 Year Health Plans offers a fantastic opportunity with ample examples of how we can do things differently in child health services. With the right approach from government now, this can change. Importantly, investing in children's health is not only a matter of equity but also makes sound economic sense, offering high returns and contributing to a healthier nation.
Above all else, ours is a call for equity. The recommendations in the RCPCH blueprint on health services and its 10 Year Health Plan submission provide a clear roadmap for transforming children's health outcomes and eliminating current inequities. We urge the government to:
- Ensure children, young people, and child health services are considered throughout the 10 Year Plan, including proposals for each of the three shifts.
- Introduce a Children's Health Investment Standard to address the investment gap between child and adult health services.
By taking these steps, we can ensure a brighter, healthier future for our children. Let's seize this opportunity to make a lasting, positive impact on the lives of our children.
Privacy notice
RCPCH will collate all signatures received and send this to the Health Secretary (Wes Streeting), Amanda Pritchard (NHS England CEO) and Andrew Gwynne (Minister for children’s health). Your name will not be published anywhere and will only be seen by these individuals and their offices. RCPCH is committed to protecting your information and privacy, find out more here.