Briefing

Resource

Collaborative healthcare in England: Delivering the services children need in the community

RCPCH has long called for a greater focus on and investment in children’s community health services, which support some of our most vulnerable children and their families. The latest available data covering March 2025 shows that more than 314,000 children and young people are waiting for community h...

Community child health

Resource

Worried and waiting in Scotland: One year on - briefing (2025)

In March 2024, we published our analysis of paediatric waiting times for outpatients, inpatients and day cases in paediatrics in Scotland from 2012 to 2023. One year on, we examine these waiting times for the period, September 2023 to September 2024, in our briefing, which you can download below.

Service design

Workforce

Resource

Ending the physical punishment of children in England – joint briefing

In 2025, it cannot be right that children, the youngest and most vulnerable group in society, are the least protected from physical assault. This joint briefing calls on Peers to support an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing bill to give children equal protection from assault.

Safeguarding

Physical abuse

Public affairs and campaigning

Document

NHS 10 year plan: A community shift that works for children - briefing

This briefing is on one of the three proposed shifts in the 10 Year Health Plan for the NHS in England. It explains the value of providing child health services in the community, and the current pressures across children's community services and primary care. We want to see the shift into the commun...

Document

NHS 10 year plan: Focusing on preventing sickness, not just treating it - briefing

This briefing is one of the three proposed shifts in the 10 Year Health Plan for the NHS in England. We highlight the challenges with spotting illnesses earlier and tackling the causes of ill health. We outline our recommendations to support a shift within the NHS from treating illness to preventing...

Document

NHS 10 year plan: Making better use of technology in health and care - briefing

This briefing is one of the three proposed shifts in the 10 Year Health Plan for the NHS in England. We highlight the need to ensure the analogue to digital shift fully considers children's needs, not just that of adults. The five key recommendations are: digitising children's health records, implem...

Health policy

Service design

Workforce

Document

NHS 10 Year Health Plan - overarching policy briefing

We called on all RCPCH members in England to input into the 10 Year Health Plan for the NHS, both via the Change NHS Portal and through any Trust or regional opportunities. This was an opportunity to make the case for children and the child health workforce to be at the centre of plans for the NHS. ...

Service design

Integrated care

Workforce

Document

Genomics for newborns - information

The use of genomics, including newborn screening, is increasingly discussed in the policy space. The UK National Screening Committee has been working with Genomics England, who led a previous whole genome sequencing (WGS) initiative, the 100,000 Genomes Project, to look at a pilot research programme...

Genomics

Neonatal medicine

Document

Myalgic encephalomyelitis (or encephalopathy)/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) - Member briefing on new NICE guideline

On 31 October 2021, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published an updated version of the ME/CFS clinical guideline. The RCPCH consulted on the guideline and met with NICE as they worked with patient groups and representative organisations to finalise the guideline. This b...

Community child health

General paediatrics

Safeguarding

Document

Submissions to parliamentary committees

We frequently submit written responses to Select Committee and other inquiries to assist with their work and scrutiny of Government. You can download these submissions below.

Public affairs and campaigning