Since the government has not clarified how it will use the significant investment in the NHS announced in the Budget to ensure the "healthiest generation ever," health experts have cautioned that children's health could become an afterthought.

A coalition of charities and Royal Colleges is warning that children risk becoming an afterthought in efforts to address waiting lists, despite the government's manifesto pledges to create "the healthiest generation ever" and adopt a "prevention first" approach to health. This is because it is unclear how significant new funding for the NHS will be allocated to children's health services.

Additionally, it states that it is uncertain what will happen to Start for Life, the former government's premier early childhood initiative.

The Start for Life program offers evidence-based services to parents and carers from conception to a child's second birthday. These include assistance with infant nutrition, speech and language, and maternal mental health.

Despite the government's pledge to prioritize prevention, the coalition, the Health Policy Influencing Group (HPIG), claims it is now impossible to verify if this initiative will receive any more cash for the upcoming year.

The HPIG is demanding that the government immediately commit to funding Start for Life and provide clear guidance on how it intends to support this "important pillar of prevention-first approaches to child health."

The HPIG also demands that all NHS funding announcements be clear about the percentage of funds allotted to children in its Roadmap for the Healthiest Generation of Children Ever, which was released today. The HPIG claims that last week's Budget fell short in this regard.

The following are further suggestions for a "fundamental re-prioritization" of children within the NHS:

The government's health mission will contain specific measures for enhancing child health, and the upcoming 10-year plan will place a strong emphasis on infants, kids, and youth.

The reinstatement of important preventive services, such as school nursing and health visits.

To ensure that all children are seen within the allotted 18 weeks by the end of this Parliament, a new elective recovery standard for children's health services, including community services, has been established.

"Despite making up about 25% of the population, babies, children, and young people are far too frequently ignored in national health decision-making," stated Amanda Allard, co-chair of the Children and Young People's Health Policy Influencing Group.

"The Budget was a lost chance to outline how significant new funding for the NHS will enhance underperforming child health services, including in the early years." Only if we have leadership at the highest level can children be a priority in the NHS, and our Roadmap for the Healthiest Generation of Children Ever outlines how they can do this.
"This Roadmap gives clear direction for how this Government can address the challenges in the health system by not only focussing on the needs of children and families but also making sure that their voice is at the heart of any plans," said Munira Wilson MP, co-chair of the APPG for Children. The long-standing structural problems that underpin the health of our country today cannot be addressed by a health system that does not put the needs of all children first.