We have just published our State of Child Health 2026 analysis, and despite my inherent optimism, I find it difficult to see reasons to be cheerful in this document. Across the UK, health and wellbeing outcomes have either stalled or deteriorated since 2020.
Each UK nation publishes its own health outcomes for children, meaning that our State of Child Health work provides one of very few pan-UK perspectives. The original 2017 SoCH report highlighted poor outcomes for children in each nation, and especially for those living in our more deprived communities. In 2018 we provided report cards to each nation’s government/assembly, describing how they had responded. There was surprising engagement with our recommendations across all four nations. In 2018 Nicola Sturgeon, the then First Minister, promised to make Scotland the best place to grow up. Perhaps a coincidence?
Fast forward to 2020 and our second State of Child Health revealed a mixed picture with some outcomes improving since 2017 across all of the UK (e.g. accidents), some improving only in some nations (e.g. mortality, smoking and breast feeding) whilst others were deteriorating across the UK (e.g. vaccinations, unhealthy weight, poor mental health). Reason to be hopeful? Sadly not.
The third State of Child Health analysis, published this week, illustrates how we as a society are failing children across the UK. Compared to the pre-pandemic 2020 publication, almost all outcomes are worse. Infant mortality has stalled whilst child mortality has actually risen. The worrying trends we saw in 2020 for vaccination uptake, unhealthy weight and poor mental health have persisted. Trying to end on a positive note, injuries continue to decline and cannabis use is also falling.
As paediatricians we and others must continue to champion the right of children and young people to be healthy. If it was not for the advocacy of the college and our members, the situation today for children across the UK may be even worse. Let’s help raise the healthiest generation ever across the UK. Please use SoCH as your inspiration.
State of Child Health 2026: The headlines
Our State of Child Health 2026 report highlights a worrying picture for children and young people's health, driven by three recurring challenges: poor and inconsistent child health data, widening health inequalities linked to deprivation, and long-term underinvestment in child health services and workforce capacity.
But the report is also a roadmap for change. Drawing on 12 key child health indicators, we are calling on the UK Government to take action in three priority areas:
- Better data: Improve the quality, collection and sharing of child health data, including the development of a clear national measure of children’s health and wellbeing to track progress and hold systems accountable.
- Clear targets: Establish meaningful national targets across all 12 indicators to improve outcomes and reduce inequalities, ensuring sustained action across government.
- Fair investment: Introduce a Children’s Health Investment Standard and deliver a funded, long-term child health workforce strategy to address the historic imbalance in spending between child and adult services.
Together, these measures would create the accountability, ambition and investment needed to deliver better health outcomes for every child and move us closer to becoming the healthiest generation of children ever.
About our 2026 report
At the heart of State of Child Health 2026 is a new framework of 12 indicators that provide a comprehensive picture of children and young people’s health and wellbeing across the UK. These indicators enable us to track trends over time, understand inequalities, and identify where action is most urgently needed. You can explore each of the indicators in more detail here.
A particular strength of this year’s report is the direct involvement of children and young people in shaping the evidence base. The emotional health and wellbeing indicator was co-developed with children and young people, ensuring their lived experiences and priorities sit alongside national data and clinical evidence.
The report was developed in partnership with Born in Bradford (BiB), whose internationally recognised expertise in child health research, population health and inequalities strengthened the analysis throughout. BiB provided methodological and analytical support, helping to curate and validate data, analyse trends, explore inequalities, and develop robust UK-wide insights where data sources differed across nations.
I would also like to thank the members of our Health Improvement Committee for their expertise and guidance throughout the development of the report, and particularly Dr Helen Stewart, RCPCH Officer for Health Improvement, whose leadership has been instrumental in bringing State of Child Health 2026 to fruition.
What does SoCH mean for members?
State of Child Health 2026 provides members with a powerful evidence base to support clinical leadership, service improvement and advocacy. By bringing together data on 12 key child health indicators, the report equips paediatricians with a clear picture of the challenges facing children and young people, including the impact of health inequalities, workforce pressures and wider determinants of health. It also offers practical insights into emerging trends, helping members understand how outcomes are changing and where action is most needed.
Importantly, the report reinforces the vital role paediatricians play beyond direct clinical care. Through your expertise, experience and trusted voice, members can use the findings to champion investment in child health services, influence policy decisions, and support efforts to reduce inequalities so that every child has the opportunity to achieve the best possible health and wellbeing.
In the autumn, we will be publishing a toolkit for you as members, to further support you to use State of Child Health at a local level. This will include local-level data across our 12 indicators and resources to help you use this to support conversations with policymakers, commissioners, system leaders and parliamentarians.
We do hope you will read the report, share it widely and join us in our ambition to achieve the healthiest – and happiest – generation of children.
Best wishes all round,
Steve
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