BACCH Statement on the RCPCH State of Child Health Report 2026
The British Association for Community Child Health (BACCH) welcomes the publication in July 2026 of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health’s latest State of Child Health Report, which looks at the health of children across 12 indicators. The Report notes that nearly a decade after its first publication, this latest analysis has found that children’s health in the UK across all areas is either in decline or has stalled completely.
BACCH is the national professional body for doctors working outside of hospital settings to support and promote child health and development in local communities. We support RCPCH in its call on the UK government to make child health a national priority, not an afterthought. Children are our future, and if we do not invest in them, we as a society have no future. We should, as a country be embarrassed by our record. The report demonstrates that we are failing children in the UK, but especially those from ethnic minorities and poorer backgrounds.
This report demonstrates the urgent need to focus more on prevention and working with families and communities, and to invest in health services provided outside of the acute medical context.
Dr David Vickers (Chair, BACCH)
August 2026
Read the State of Child Health Report in full: https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/work-we-do/state-of-child-health
BACCH Website: www.bacch.org.uk
BACCH Statement on RCPCH State of Child Health Report 2026
