Paediatricians call for fund to help lower income families attend healthcare appointments

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) has welcomed 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, the college says.

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. Iin the UK, 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, the RCPCH says.

In their practice, many paediatricians have found that 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 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 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, the rest of the UK following Scotland’s lead in introducing a Young Patients Family Fund, ending the two-child limit to benefit payments and expanding the free school meals scheme to all children in primary schools.

RCPCH VP for Policy Dr Mike McKean says: “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.”

RCPCH Officer for Health Improvement Dr Helen Stewart adds: “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.”