Prevention of ill health

Prevention is an integral part of the solution to many of the problems that children face in the UK - from increasing mortality rates, to high prevalence of obesity, to widening social and health inequalities.

"Securing our healthy future: Prevention is better than cure"

Set in the context of a political deprioritisation of children and young people within the UK Government’s current health agenda, this report, published by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges in September 2023, makes the case for prioritising the prevention of ill health in childhood.

View full report on Academy of Medical Royal College's website

Evidence on child health outcomes

State of Child Health is our landmark report into the health and wellbeing of children and young people in the UK. This looks at three indicators around prevention of ill health: immunisations, healthy weight and oral health.

Evidence

Government paper on health prevention

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)'s green paper in 2019, "Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s", included proposals to tackle the causes of preventable ill health in England - looking at services, choices and conditions.

Our summary

Our response

We responded to the consultation on this green paper. We were supportive of many of the Government's ambitious plans, but noted the need for sufficient funding and cross-government focus on improving the social conditions in which people are born and live.

Our response