Health Policy team

We aim to influence public policy at all levels to improve health outcomes for all infants, children and young people in the UK. We work with members and officers to develop evidence based policy and healthcare standards with clear asks and actions to influence key decision makers.

Our priorities:

Influence key research decision makers so that child health research, including the areas of health, wellbeing services and mortality, is given the same parity as adult health research.
Improve health outcomes through advocacy, empower children to be in control of their own health and wellbeing and putting children and their families at the heart of what happens
Reduce the number of children who become ill or whose illness progresses unnecessarily due avoidable factors.
Shape policy and practice in the NHS so that it provides high quality and sustainable healthcare services for all children regardless of the setting in which they receive it and to ensure long lasting improvements to services and systems to improve health outcomes for children.
Work in partnership with other organisations to implement early intervention strategies and reduce health inequalities for children.

Recent content

Resource

Screen use by children aged 5 to 16 - consultation response

In June 2026, RCPCH responded to a Department for Education (DfE) call for evidence on screen use by children and young people aged 5–16 years. Our response draws on the views of more than 250 children and young people, alongside evidence gathered from paediatricians across the UK.

Digital health

Health policy

Wellbeing for children and young people

Document

State of Child Health 2026: Obesity

This indicator looks at the prevalence of children across the UK who are overweight or obese when they start primary school compared to when they finish by measuring a child’s body mass index (BMI).

Document

State of Child Health 2026: Oral health

This indicator examines the rate of tooth decay by reporting the proportion of children aged 5 years with obvious tooth decay across England, Scotland and Wales. Data for Northern Ireland were last collected in 2018 and are not included.

Oral health

Health policy

Document

State of Child Health 2026: Vaping and smoking

This indicator reports primarily on youth vaping trends by examining the proportion of children aged 15 who are e-cigarette users, including those who have ever tried an e-cigarette and those who currently vape, across the UK.

Document

State of Child Health 2026: Mental health

This indicator explores the prevalence of mental health conditions in children and young people. Comparisons across the UK are challenging due to the lack of routine, standardised data collection that enables consistent tracking of trends over time.

Mental health

Health policy

Document

State of Child Health 2026: Forewords, introduction and methodology

Our vision as a College is to see every child being able to grow up healthy and well. This report presents an overview into the current state of child health across each nation of the UK via a set of 12 indicators. It combines the insight of paediatricians and voice of children and young people with...

Workforce

Document

State of Child Health 2026: Headline recommendations

Our 12 indicators provide a practical framework for current and future governments to track and measure progress on children’s health outcomes. We make three key recommendations: improve data, set national targets and invest in children’s health.

Health policy

Document

State of Child Health 2026: Early childhood development

This indicator assesses whether children have met the expected developmental outcomes as they enter primary school. It provides an indication of their overall health and wellbeing at a key milestone, and whether children have received access to the support they needed to ensure the best start in lif...

Infant health

Document

State of Child Health 2026: Infant mortality

Infant mortality is defined as the death of a child under the age of one year and is measured as deaths per 1,000 live births. This includes the neonatal (first 28 days) and post-neonatal (28 days to 1 year) periods.

Child and adolescent mortality

Health policy

Infant health

Resource

State of Child Health 2026: England - Quick read

State of Child Health 2026 provides a clear and comprehensive overview of children’s health across the UK, analysing progress against 12 key child health indicators. This quick read report summarises data and recommendations for England. Read on screen or download.

Health policy