CYP Now - Tackle child poverty to secure future of NHS

Following the NHS’s 75th Birthday in July, commentators from across the political spectrum have been contemplating its future – with some concluding that the challenges are so significant that the patient has been admitted to hospital with the crash team on standby.

Derren Hayes: 'Reducing child poverty is crucial to improving children’s health outcomes and making the nation healthier – and is central to the future of the NHS'

There is no doubt there are ominous indicators: rising delays for treatment, deteriorating patient outcomes and a workforce crisis with around one in 10 posts unfilled. Problems in the NHS reflect wider issues in society: the UK population is aging, has been through a tough time due to the pandemic and cost-of-living crisis, and before that endured a decade of austerity, all of which have damaged people’s mental and physical health.

When it comes to children and young people, the challenges for the NHS are equally concerning: more than one in six secondary school pupils have a mental health disorder, one in four are overweight or obese by the end of primary and more pre-schoolers are missing expected developmental markers post the pandemic (see Analysis).

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