Reimagining the future of paediatric care post-COVID-19 - a reflective report of rapid learning

This report, published on 26 June 2020, is the first in a series from the Paediatrics 2040 project that will inform RCPCH’s vision for the future of paediatrics in the UK. We summarise our learning from this period of rapid change, focusing in particular on the elements of new practice that we want to keep and take forwards into the future.
Data | Innovation | Models of care | Working lives

In Autumn 2018, we embarked on the journey of our Paediatrics 2040 project, looking to guide and inform the delivery of the College’s vision of a healthier future for children and young people. Since then, we have been busy collaborating with paediatricians, experts and young people across the UK to develop our credible vision for the future of paediatrics in the UK, concentrating on four areas – data and evidence, impact of innovation, models of care and working lives.

Over the last few months, we have seen unprecedented changes in paediatric services, as a result of COVID-19. It has transformed ways of working, to the extent that lots of the theoretical futures we were exploring in this project have already been experienced. This is an opportune moment to refocus our thinking about the future of paediatrics and how we want to shape it.

We are encouraged by the pace and scale of change, and we hope that capturing and sharing this will support the paediatric community in planning for the future.