Finalist
The State of Child Health 2017
Summary of work
The State of Child Health is a landmark report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. It brings together data for the first time on 25 measures of children's physical and mental health, ranging from specific conditions such as asthma, diabetes and epilepsy, health promotion activity, risk factors including obesity, low breastfeeding rates, and child deaths. The data is coupled with a strong narrative and series of bespoke recommendations for policy change in each nation.
The communications of the launch, impact and resulting actions have far exceeded the targets originally set. The Report launched on 26th January, with parliamentary events in Westminster, Edinburgh and Cardiff attended by politicians, stakeholders, campaign groups, RCPCH representatives and young people. There was extensive media coverage, including front page of the Guardian, key newspapers in Scotland (the Scotsman, the Herald) and Wales (the Western Mail) as well as Radio 4’s Today Programme, BBC Breakfast, Good Morning Britain, a package on the BBC 6 o’clock news and the lead story on BBC Wales and BBC Scotland. The Report was the subject of the lead editorial and cover page of the Lancet.
There was a hugely positive response from politicians (including Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon) and the wider child health sector, who committed to work together on the report’s recommendations. There has already been progress on two key recommendations for policy change, namely compulsory SRE in schools and graduated driving licences in Wales.
Judges’ comments
The report generated amazing political media coverage with a clear background insight and lots of third party input. From an operational perspective, it was very impressive with high profile support and the outcomes in improving child health were just brilliant.
