As Scotland prepares for the 2026 Holyrood election, we urge the next Scottish Government to put children and young people’s health and wellbeing at the heart of national policy. Our manifesto outlines clear, actionable steps, including greater investment in child health services and the workforce that supports them.
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Shaping this manifesto
We surveyed RCPCH Scotland members between December 2024 and March 2025. Their insights highlight an urgent need for change:
- Critical data gaps, especially in community paediatrics, are undermining service delivery and workforce planning.
- Prevention must be prioritised, starting in pregnancy, to reverse the decline in child health driven by poverty.
- Mental health and neurodevelopmental needs are rising, with more emergency visits and hospital admissions. Services remain under-resourced and fragmented.
- Unacceptably long waiting times in paediatric services are having serious and lasting consequences for children and families.
- Workforce pressures are intensifying, leading to rising workloads, increasing case complexity and growing levels of burnout among paediatricians.
We worked closely with our Scottish Officer and Deputy Officers to translate this feedback into specific asks for the next Government, because every child deserves timely, high-quality care and a system that supports their health from the very start.
Our 'prescription for change'
- Data that delivers: Strengthening child health outcomes by closing data gaps to enable evidence-based planning, integrating IT systems to reduce duplication, and enabling cross-sector data sharing to ensure coordinated support.
- The power of prevention: Bold action is needed to tackle health inequalities by addressing the root causes of poor health. This includes reducing child poverty, raising awareness of health harming behaviours like smoking and vaping, and investing in early intervention and prevention.
- Healing young minds: Urgently strengthen mental health and neurodevelopmental services for children and young people through targeted investment, early intervention, and inclusive, coordinated care.
- Strengthening child health services: Tackle long waiting times and improve access by investing in community care, supporting smooth transitions, and embedding children’s and families’ voices in service design. Sustained investment in the child health workforce is essential to meet demand and deliver timely, specialist care.
- Investing in the child health workforce: Scotland’s child health system cannot thrive without a well-supported workforce. Strategic investment in the child health workforce, robust workforce data, and inclusive planning is essential to build capacity and resilience.
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