The RCPCH (Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health) has published its latest report about the state of child health in the UK. Nearly 1 in 5 children in the UK is living in poverty, and inequality is blighting their lives, with those from the most deprived backgrounds experiencing much worse health compared with those from the most affluent backgrounds. There is a strong association between deprivation and mortality, and the UK rates 15 out of 19 Western European countries on infant (under one year) mortality.
As part of their report RCPCH has issued State of Child Heath: 2017 Recommendations for Scotland with twelve separate recommendations. These include reducing the number of child deaths, reducing child poverty and inequality, maximising women’s health before, during and after pregnancy, and improving children’s mental health and wellbeing .