Action call to cut risks to children under NHS reforms

A report by the NHS Confederation, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Office of Public Management claims children with the most complex problems could lose out under the changes as their different needs will be the responsibility of different organisations.

It says successive public inquiries have shown that children often fall through the gaps at the boundaries between different organisations’ responsibilities, with “disastrous” consequences for some as well as wasting money.

The report also criticises a national target to recruit 4,200 new health visitors which it says could conflict with local needs.

Jo Webber, of the NHS Confederation, said: “There is a real sense that the Government has not paid sufficient attention to child health as part of its NHS reforms. This can not go on and there is a risk that we will not do the right thing for our children. The consequences of simply bumping along as we are could mean we will fail large numbers of children and young people for no reason.”

Prof Mitch Blair, officer for health promotion at the royal college, said: “All children, but particularly those who are severely ill and disabled, need properly integrated care commissioned specifically around their needs.

“There is too little emphasis in the detail of the reforms on how this will be achieved.”

The reforms yesterday came under further fire from the British Medical Association which claimed “chaotic and poorly co-ordinated” changes in the NHS threatened its stability.

BMA chairman Hamish Meldrum urged the Government to abandon its programme. “It should be focusing on delivering high-quality, coordinated and integrated health care, not side-tracking staff with major structural reform. Continuing with this legislation, especially in a period of huge financial constraint, is an enormous risk,” he said.