A lack of investment is creating a two tier system in the NHS that is failing children because of the long waits they are facing to be treated, paediatricians have warned.
Despite children being frequent users of health services—0-14 year olds, for example, are more likely to attend emergency departments than any other age—the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCG) said paediatric services have been deprioritised and largely overlooked in NHS recovery efforts post-covid and in the priorities of integrated care systems.
“While many adult services are recovering to their pre-pandemic levels of activity and waiting times, many children’s health services are struggling and the gap between adult and children’s service recovery has been widening,” it said.
In a report1 …
