Health policy

Resource

Statutory guidance for information sharing duty - consultation response

In July 2026, RCPCH responded to the Department for Education (DfE) consultation on the proposed statutory guidance for the information sharing duty introduced in the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act. Our response focuses on the need for clear, consistent and practical guidance that supports pro...

Health policy

Safeguarding

Resource

Screen use by children aged 5 to 16 - consultation response

In June 2026, RCPCH responded to a Department for Education (DfE) call for evidence on screen use by children and young people aged 5–16 years. Our response draws on the views of more than 250 children and young people, alongside evidence gathered from paediatricians across the UK.

Digital health

Health policy

Wellbeing for children and young people

News

The UK is raising one of the unhealthiest generations in decades, paediatricians warn

14 July 2026

The UK now has some of the worst outcomes for children in Europe, with declining vaccination rates and rising asthma admissions and mental health disorders. Paediatricians warn that, without urgent action, the UK is on track to raise one of the unhealthiest generations of children in decades.

Document

State of Child Health 2026: Oral health

This indicator examines the rate of tooth decay by reporting the proportion of children aged 5 years with obvious tooth decay across England, Scotland and Wales. Data for Northern Ireland were last collected in 2018 and are not included.

Oral health

Health policy

Document

State of Child Health 2026: Vaping and smoking

This indicator reports primarily on youth vaping trends by examining the proportion of children aged 15 who are e-cigarette users, including those who have ever tried an e-cigarette and those who currently vape, across the UK.

Resource

State of Child Health 2026: England - Quick read

State of Child Health 2026 provides a clear and comprehensive overview of children’s health across the UK, analysing progress against 12 key child health indicators. This quick read report summarises data and recommendations for England. Read on screen or download.

Health policy

Document

State of Child Health 2026: Headline recommendations

Our 12 indicators provide a practical framework for current and future governments to track and measure progress on children’s health outcomes. We make three key recommendations: improve data, set national targets and invest in children’s health.

Health policy

Document

State of Child Health 2026: Mental health

This indicator explores the prevalence of mental health conditions in children and young people. Comparisons across the UK are challenging due to the lack of routine, standardised data collection that enables consistent tracking of trends over time.

Mental health

Health policy

Document

State of Child Health 2026: Injuries

This indicator measures the rate of emergency hospital admissions due to injury in children per 1,000 population in England, Scotland and Wales. There are no comparable data available for Northern Ireland. Data on emergency admissions by injury cause is not readily available. Scotland and Wales...

Emergency medicine

Ambulance services

Health policy

Document

State of Child Health 2026: Child mortality

This indicator examines child mortality rates across the UK, measured as the age-standardised rate of death from all causes among children and young people aged 1–17 years per 100,000 population.

Health policy

Public health