Young children receive least NHS investment

A Government-funded review, which was commissioned last year in the wake of the Baby P scandal, highlights that investment by the NHS in services for children and young people is at its very lowest in the early years.

The review shows that services for children and young people in the NHS are given a very low priority. It reveals that up to 50 per cent of GPs in many parts of the country have had no paediatric or child health training and that child mortality rates have fallen less quickly in the UK than in other EU countries. The UK also has some of the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and low birthweight babies in Europe.

The report describes local health services for young children as 'mediocre', with parents often forced to take their children to hospital rather than seeing a doctor.

Professor Sir Ian Kennedy, who conducted the review, said, 'In assessing how the NHS meets the needs of children and young people I have found many barriers. They were created, and operate, at a staggering number of levels, from Whitehall right down to patients. These myriad systems can make life impossible for the children, young people and their families who desperately need the services the NHS exists to provide.'

Health secretary Andrew Lansley said, 'In our new vision for the NHS, and in preparing for our public health White Paper later this year, we are determined to provide for children and young people as an essential and integral part of delivering better health outcomes. We welcome views on the action needed, locally and nationally, to make this vision a reality.'

FURTHER INFORMATION

'Getting it right for children and young people: overcoming cultural barriers in the NHS' is available at www.dh.gov.uk