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This report exposes the deeply concerning state of child health in Wales and the widening inequalities experienced by families across the country. Behind every statistic is a child whose health, wellbeing and opportunities in life can be affected for years to come.
We cannot accept a situation where a child's chances of growing up healthy are so heavily influenced by where they live or the circumstances they were born into. As paediatricians, we know that poor health and inequality are not inevitable. With the right investment and sustained action, we can change the trajectory for children and young people in Wales.
Wales urgently needs a clear and ambitious Children's Health Plan that puts prevention, early intervention and reducing inequalities at its heart. This must be evidence-based, data-driven and shaped by the expertise of clinicians alongside the voices and experiences of children and young people themselves.
We need stronger, more transparent child health data, meaningful targets that allow progress to be measured, and a clear focus on closing the gap between children living in the most and least advantaged communities. Crucially, this must be backed by sustained and equitable investment in child health services through a Child Health Investment Standard that reflects the growing complexity of paediatric need. Children's health cannot be an afterthought - it must be a long-term priority for the Welsh Government.
Headline recommendations
To improve child health outcomes in Wales, the Welsh Government must deliver on Plaid Cymru’s manifesto commitment to develop a Children's Health Plan that is evidence-based, data-driven and developed with insight from clinicians and from children and young people. It should focus on three priorities:
- Data: Strengthen the quality, collection and sharing of child health data, prioritising accessible, transparent and standardised reporting across public services
- Targets: Develop an overarching measure for children’s health to track outcomes, monitor trends and inform action to improve child health. This should sit alongside robust, meaningful targets to support improvements in children’s health and reduce inequalities
- Investment: Guarantee equitable investment in child health services relative to adult care, by delivering a Child Health Investment Standard that recognises the growing complexity of paediatric needs
Children have the right to the highest attainable standard of health, yet this report shows that too many children in Wales are being let down by widening inequalities and inconsistent access to support.
The findings echo what children, and young people have consistently told me: that support often comes too late, that access to services such as mental health and dental care can be difficult, and that healthy choices are not always the easiest choices.
The new Welsh Government must prioritise children's health, listen to children's voices, and deliver long-term action that gives every child a fair opportunity to live a healthy life.