The report, titled ‘First 1000 Days: a renewed focus’ sets out a series of recommendations to improve health outcomes for young children, including:
- Urging the Government to go further by ensuring access to Family Hubs in every community, supported by long‑term funding. It emphasises that expansion must prioritise equity, with clear targets for reaching families with the greatest need and dedicated roles for supporting parents of children with additional needs.
- Calling on the Government to urgently rebuild the health visiting workforce by funding at least 1,000 additional health visitors immediately, developing safe staffing tools, and increasing mandated visits from five to six as capacity allows.
- Introducing funded targets to expand the early years workforce, informed by updated modelling and a holistic child health workforce strategy, as part of the NHS 10-year plan.
- Reinstating the 95% childhood vaccination coverage target in NHS planning guidance and committing to meet it by the end of this Parliament.
RCPCH Officer for Health Improvement, Dr Helen Stewart, said:
The Health and Social Care Committee’s report shows that long-term underinvestment means that services are unable to meet the changing needs of our youngest children. Waiting times for children’s health services are eye wateringly high, childhood vaccination rates are plummeting, parents are often struggling to find the right support, and advice and children are being failed.
It is imperative that we reverse the decline in children’s health to safeguard our future. Paediatricians are clear that renewed focus and increased investment in the first 1000 days are now urgently needed. We echo this report’s recommendations, in particular the necessity for increased resourcing and roles within the child health workforce.