»Ê¼Ò»ªÈË

RCPCH &Us workshops 

RCPCH &Us is the children, young people and family network of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. In November 2024 the team supported children and young people to get involved, by visiting hospitals, schools, youth groups and communities across England to run 20+ sessions with 890 children and young people to provide us with their ideas, comments and feedback.  We created a 30-minute session to  engage with children and young people to participate in the opportunity to have their voice heard about child health and the future of healthcare or engaged through street outreach sessions.

The aims of these sessions were to:

• raise awareness among children and young people about the NHS 10 year plan
• encourage children and young people to share their views on improving health services for children and young people
• empower children and young people to participate in shaping the future of healthcare and influencing policy
• give them the opportunity to learn about their rights.

Children and young involved were aged 7–25, representing a wide range of Global Ethnic Majority backgrounds and included lived experiences below:

• mild to profound SEND (special education needs) backgrounds
• school exclusion / attending pupil referral units
• young people with in care backgrounds (LAC/CLA)
• inpatients in hospitals
• toung people in gangs
• young people with Education Health Care Plans
• health conditions
• rural and urban, 

Key insights revealed that 95% of respondents think children and young people (CYP) should be involved in shaping services.

Themes discussed included the following.

Shift: Making better use of technology

Children and young people were keen to see technology being used to:

• support booking appointments and reducing waiting times
• increase health apps that support tracking conditions or questions
• reduce the impact on education with online appointments
• develop online materials (socials/videos) that speak to children and young people to help their health choices
• reduce the burden on families to maintain physical records when moving between different health services
• provide 24/7 online support.

They were concerned about accessibility and exclusion of certain groups in regards to technology, that the best equipment is not shared around the country equally, that the NHS website and app are confusing and not aimed at children and young people and that technology can reduce access to real people to talk through worries and concerns about physical or mental health. 

Shift: Moving more care from hospitals to communities

Children and young people wanted to see the quality and accessibility community based healthcare improved, making best use of schools/education/community spaces. They wanted to see communication improved between specialist and community healthcare providers, as well as making sure that there are specific spaces and services in the community which are children and young people friendly.

There were concerns shared about the lack of venues and staff that are equipped to support children and young people’s needs, that travel and transport are not being taken into consideration in planning (cost of living), that services are not aware of the community they serve and that ambulance times could increase further. 

Shift: Preventing sickness not just treating it

Children and young people are keen to see solutions that support their education and empowerment and reduce stress on the NHS. They want to be listened to and taken seriously as children and young people and need safe spaces to be able to engage with the prevention agenda, for example better access to online help or mental health services, improving waiting times to stop worsening of conditions.

They want to see increasing community education programmes, more use of Pets as Therapy, opening up community spaces to support healthy lifestyles like gyms, first aid training in schools, greater promotion of healthier lifestyles aimed at / relevant for children and young  people and specific support around men’s health, women’s health and migrant health.

Other key areas for children and young people

Children and young people are also keen to see:

• involvement of children and young people in shaping services and informing the NHS of the future
• improved access and system efficiency by reducing waiting times, being flexible with appointments to accommodate those in education, creating dual registration for university students with health needs
• child and young people-friendly services and spaces, including workforce development for skills to work with and support children and young people 
• better access to mental health support for children and young people
• integrating schools/education settings in the role of supporting those with long term health needs/conditions or increase health literacy
• a focus on transition between paediatric and adult health services.

These insights from the workshop have been submitted directly to the Change NHS portal as part of the 'workshop in a box' community engagement project. A download of this submission is at the end of this page.

RCPCH member workshop  

The RCPCH Policy and Public Affairs teams held an online workshop in January with paediatricians and the wider child health workforce. Chaired by RCPCH Vice President for Policy Dr Mike McKean, the workshop focused around the three shifts announced by the Government.

The key insights showed that members envision the NHS as safe, effective, and accessible if the 10 year plan succeeds. They emphasised the need for maintaining free care at the point of use, compassionate staff and a focus on wellbeing.

Key areas for improvement include prevention, community outreach, primary care and services for children and young people. Members advocated for increased technology integration, better coordination, smoother care pathways and a stronger community focus. They also called for more specialist and preventative services, better staffing, holistic care and a commitment to reducing health inequalities.

We have summarised the views shared against each of the three shifts below. You can see the full insight in the PDF available to download at the bottom of this page.

Shift: Making better use of technology

The workshop highlighted hopes for technology in the NHS to improve efficiency and patient care, such as connecting systems for joined-up care (single unique identifier), digitising child health records and providing easy-to-access online paediatric health information.

However, concerns were raised about losing face-to-face interactions for children, digital inequality and the potential for some children to be ‘left behind’, and the complexity of new systems to increase workforce workloads.

Shift: Moving more care from hospitals to communities

Participants supported moving paediatric care to communities, citing benefits like reduced emergency visits and faster discharges, but noted the importance of not overburdening GPs, improving paediatric training for community staff, and utilising schools as convenient care locations. Virtual wards were positively perceived with the potential for early discharge and home care, but raised concerns about resource demands, safety risks, and technology access.

Participants viewed community diagnostic centres positively for improving accessibility and efficiency, but raised concerns about paediatric expertise, over-testing, and resource allocation.

Shift: Preventing sickness not just treating it

The workshop highlighted views that shifting to prevention would be valuable in preventing the onset of poor child health, improving wellbeing through early mental health support and protecting public health through vaccination programs.

However, participants highlighted how it requires significant investment in community and primary care services, systemic changes involving multiple sectors, and ensuring equitable access to preventive measures. Specific suggestions included school-based health education, community health initiatives, supportive policies and increased resources for health visitors and school nurses.

RCPCH and Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) workshop

In February 2025 the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) and the RCPCH Research and Evidence team organised a workshop on child and paediatric health research on the 10 year health plan. The workshop brought together stakeholders from 14 health charities and sector organisations who represent patients living with rare disease or work in the rare disease research sector. It focused the Government’s three shifts, with discussion of the challenges in paediatric research and what a successful 10 year plan for health would mean in this area.

A successful 10 year plan for paediatrics and child health research was described with three words: equitable, inclusive, and innovative. The group would like to see centres of excellence continue to treat children with serious and rare health conditions and provide access to research studies. Attendees felt that a successful 10 year plan should ensure that child health research flourishes within the NHS, that all children have equitable opportunities to participate in research, and that care and treatment are guided by robust evidence

Research has the potential to significantly improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of childhood illnesses in the UK. However, there are several challenges and disparities that need to be addressed to ensure equitable access to research opportunities and to maintain the UK's excellence in paediatrics research. Challenges include:

• decline in paediatric clinical academics
• increased workload for paediatricians
• lack of funding options
• caution around clinical trials.

A summary of the views shared against each of the three shifts below. A more detailed summary can be found in the PDF available to download at the bottom of this page. 

Shift: Making better use of technology

• Increasing participation in research: Universal electronic health records can identify children eligible for research trials, making access more equitable.
• Opt-in technologies: Technologies like the NHS app can help young people opt-in to research and understand its role in managing their health.
• Data collection: Technologies can gather health information and experiences from young people during research studies or clinical trials.
• Better quality data: Linked electronic health records provide comprehensive data for monitoring childhood illness prevalence, experiences, and outcomes.
• Improved diagnosis and treatments: AI and other technologies can aid in diagnosing rare conditions and developing home diagnostics.

Shift: Moving more care from hospitals to communities

• Opportunities: Community health services can widen access to research for more diverse groups of children, improving equity and the quality of research findings. Paediatric health hubs within the community can bring together multidisciplinary health professionals and support research.
• Challenges: Community health has a less developed research infrastructure, and there are limits to how much primary care clinicians can become experts in rare conditions. Centres of excellence will still be needed for specialised care and research.

Shift: Preventing sickness not just treating it

• Improving child health using early intervention prevention strategies: Prevention strategies can improve child health and have long-term benefits. Strategies to prevent ill health should be evidence based and informed by research.
• Reducing the long-term impacts of childhood ill health: Research should inform holistic care to prevent negative outcomes from childhood illness, including impacts on education, mental health, and family finances.
• Identifying disease early to reduce its impact: Newborn screening and other early identification methods can help manage genetic diseases and support families.
• Vaccine Development: Continued funding for vaccine development is essential to improve child health and reduce NHS pressures.

Next steps

RCPCH continued work to make the case for children, young people and the child health workforce to be at the centre of the 10-Year Health Plan. 

The Change NHS survey is closed as of 14 April 2025. If you have any questions, get in touch with us on health.policy@rcpch.ac.uk.