Scotland’s children cannot wait: An open letter to election candidates
Your voice matters, and this is your chance to make it heard. By signing this iParl letter, you’re adding your name to our call to action that we will send directly to candidates a month before the Holyrood elections. Add your signature today and send a clear message that children cannot wait.
You can read how your information is used and protected in the iParl privacy notice on the RCPCH website.
Scotland’s children cannot wait: An open letter to election candidates
A month before the Holyrood elections, we write as members of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) Scotland to urge you to seize a critical opportunity. Scotland’s children need decisive action now.
Every day, paediatricians see the stark realities facing children and families:
- Long waiting times for essential care,
- Mounting pressures on an overstretched workforce,
- Rising mental health concerns,
- The devastating impact of poverty.
We are calling for a Prescription for Change: a clear, unwavering commitment from the next Scottish Parliament to put children and young people at the centre of policymaking, strengthen child health services and support the paediatric workforce that cares for them.
What does prioritising child health mean?
It starts with investment — real, long-term investment — in the services and people who care for Scotland’s children.
· Greater and sustained investment in child health services, both in hospitals and in the community across Scotland.
· Equitable investment in the child health workforce, relative to adult services, recognising the increasing complexity and demand in paediatric care.
· Support to expand and retain the workforce, ensuring services are sustainable, responsive and accessible.
· Action to reduce child poverty, recognising it as the single biggest driver of poor child health and a fundamental barrier to equitable outcomes.
Action must go beyond reducing waiting times. We need a commitment to child‑centred, community‑based services that prioritise the health, wellbeing and lived experiences of children and young people. This must include bold action to reduce child poverty, which underpins so many of the health inequalities paediatricians see every day. Without a well‑supported, adequately resourced workforce, services cannot meet growing demand or provide the early, specialist care children need to thrive.
The 2026 election is a turning point
This is an opportunity to move beyond short‑term fixes and commit to a bold, long‑term vision: one where every child receives timely, compassionate and high‑quality care.
Children and young people deserve better. Families deserve better. And the paediatric workforce needs the resources and support to deliver the care they require.
Our call to action
We urge you to:
- Publicly commit to prioritising child health in your campaign pledges
- Support positive change for child health on social media using #PrescriptionForChange.
- If elected, meet with our representatives within the first 100 days and work with us to ensure every child in Scotland has access to timely, equitable and compassionate care.
Find out more in our manifesto.
Yours sincerely,