In time with the newly announced , the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has updated its position statement on poverty as a key driver of child health inequalities. This publication highlights that 30% of children are now living in poverty and that this figure is contributing to the worsening health of the UK.
The College welcomes the recent announcement of a ministerial taskforce on child poverty, and the new UK Government’s commitment to implement a child poverty strategy. However, in any mission to tackle child poverty and improve the outcomes of children, health must be a core consideration.
Studies show children living in poverty are more likely to have poorer health outcomes, including higher risk of mortality, poor physical health, and mental health problems. This is very apparent in the UK where infant mortality is higher than other developed countries and chronic conditions associated with poverty such as obesity, diabetes, and poor oral health are on the rise. The impacts of poverty on health and wider wellbeing can be lifelong, perpetuating a cycle of poverty that can be hard to break.
In their practice, many paediatricians have found that the recent increases in household energy bills and food costs have left families in the UK regularly facing a choice between paying for energy bills or for food. The ever-rising cost of housing means more and more families are living in unsuitable housing, with cold, damp and mouldy conditions. The cost of fuel, transport and potential loss of earnings also makes it harder for families to bring their children to hospital and outpatient appointments.
RCPCH’s updated position statement outlines the state of child poverty in the UK today, the detailed impacts on children’s health, and the actions each of the devolved administrations and Westminster Government should take to address it.
Recommendations include:
- Appointing a Cabinet-level Minister for Children and Young People to ensure a 'child health in all policies' approach to policy development, as well as developing a cross-departmental strategy to improve children’s health and wellbeing.  
- Calling on the rest of the UK to follow Scotland’s lead in introducing a Young Patients Family Fund, and for this to be expanded across the UK to cover both in and outpatients to help a greater number of families meet the costs of attending hospital.
- Ending the two-child limit to benefit payments to provide further financial support to children and their families.
- Expanding the free school meals scheme to all children in primary schools so they can all be provided with a nutritious meal.
You can read the full position statement.
RCPCH VP for Policy, Dr Mike McKean, said:
Child poverty is impossible for paediatricians to ignore. My colleagues and I regularly see children presenting with the tell-tale signs of deprivation, whether it be obesity, diabetes, low birth weight, asthma, tooth decay, malnutrition or poor mental health. We often find that poverty is there, under the surface. We can’t just treat the illness, we have to dig deeper, and it often reveals a need for us to write to local councils, housing services, and schools to help families – to help in any way we can.
I’m pleased that we have the opportunity to publish our updated position statement in time for the newly announced ministerial poverty taskforce and ahead of the upcoming development of a much-needed child poverty strategy. It is essential that this taskforce considers the role of health in ending child poverty. Our newly published recommendations give a clear path forward in finally starting to reduce child poverty.
RCPCH Officer for Health Improvement, Dr Helen Stewart, said:
In a nation as rich as ours it should be unthinkable that some families cannot afford to attend healthcare appointments, yet paediatricians regularly have conversations with parents about the high cost of transport, the potential loss of earnings with taking time off work and so on. In calling for a Young Patients Family Fund to assist with these costs we hope to tackle one glaring health inequality facing children today.
Other health inequalities associated with child poverty are more complex and layered but can still be addressed with a range of child focused policies and initiatives such as free school meals, removing the two-child benefit cap and a Cabinet-level Minister for Children and Young People to ensure the specific needs of our young people are being addressed. The new ministerial poverty taskforce and planned child poverty strategy is a unique opportunity for us to work together to ensure that all children get a happy and healthy childhood.