Nursery World - 'UK in danger of failing a generation of children’, warn doctors

According to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s (RCPCH) State of Child Health 2020 report, progress on children’s health outcomes across this country has mostly stalled or reversed – something rarely seen in high-income countries.

The report finds that the UK still has one of the highest mortality rates in Europe for children with asthma

It says that progress has also been ‘seriously affected’ by deep cuts to local authority budgets – used to finance public health initiatives and community services.

The report, the largest ever compilation of data on the health of babies, children and young people across all four UK nations, looks at 28 measures of health outcomes, ranging from specific conditions, such as asthma, epilepsy and mental health problems, to risk factors for poor health such as poverty, low rates of breastfeeding and obesity.

It finds that health outcomes for children who live in deprived areas have worsened since the report was last published in 2017. Health outcomes for children from disadvantaged backgrounds are now up to four time worse than those from more advantaged backgrounds.

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