Health outcomes for children have ‘worsened or stalled’ since a review almost 10 years ago, research has found.

According to the new ‘State of Child Health 2026: England’ report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), children are facing deteriorating outcomes largely due to gaps in data, growing inequalities, and workforce underinvestment.

The research confirms that those from deprived areas and ethnic minority communities are affected disproportionately by the decline.

As part of its investigation, the report analyses the following 12 indicators of child health: infant mortality, child mortality, immunisations, early childhood development, oral health, obesity, mental health, emotional health and wellbeing, vaping and smoking, asthma, substance misuse, and injuries.

It found that outcomes for children in England have ‘either worsened or stalled across almost all key indicators’, with current approaches proving unsuccessful in creating change.

‘Failure to improve child health today risks lifelong health problems, poorer educational outcomes, and entrenched inequalities. Without urgent action, paediatricians are clear that we risk raising one of the unhealthiest generations of children in decades’, the report reads.

As part of its recommendations, the RCPCH calls for an improvement in child health data quality, collection, and sharing to support progress monitoring. It also urges that ‘explicit, meaningful national targets’ are established to help combat inequalities across the indicators.

Finally, it recommends that a Children’s Health Investment Standard is implemented, with the aim of reducing spending inequity between child and adult health services, as well as advising that funding for a long-term child health workforce strategy is delivered.

Cllr Dr Wendy Taylor MBE, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Health and Wellbeing Committee, said: ‘This report is a stark reminder of the realities facing children across the country: widening health inequalities, stalling vaccination rates and rising mental ill-health among them.’

She added that while councils are working to boost outcomes for children and support families, they are dealing with ‘considerable financial pressure and challenging workforce shortages, with teams such as health visitors stretched ever thinner’.