UNICEF UK RESPONDS TO THE 10 YEAR HEALTH PLAN
Thursday 3 July 2025 – The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) welcomes the 10 Year Health Plan’s focus on prevention, innovation, and community services, and the important recognition that “prevention starts with children and young people.” It is positive to see the Plan’s commitments to extend Start for Life services, restore the value of the Healthy Start scheme for young children living in poverty, and to see assurances that neighbourhood health centres will work in partnership with family hubs, schools and nurseries to deliver high quality care for children. Early moments matter – and these are vital steps toward giving every child the best start in life.
However, while these measures are promising, there is still much work to be done to achieve the Government’s own stated goal of raising the “healthiest generation of children ever.” More specific and funded strategies to improve child health and reduce inequalities are needed, with clear investment in the child health workforce and services that work to break the link between poverty and poor early health outcomes.
The Plan’s overarching commitment to “move towards a fairer distribution of health funding” is absolutely right. However, the Darzi independent review of the NHS was clear that children and child health services do not receive an adequate share of NHS resources and “too many children are being let down.” At the moment, the Plan does little to address that fundamental imbalance for children. The Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation’s (ACRA) upcoming review process must consider the needs of babies and children and the services which support them when making funding recommendations. Investing in equitable and high-quality healthcare for children is essential to building a healthier future for all and delivers a high return on investment.
More now needs to be done to consider how the proposals in the Plan will work for children, and specifically for babies and young children. For example, while innovation is welcome, the ‘digital-by-default’ approach may not always work well for young children, as our ‘Opening Doors’ research highlighted. This joint report with NSPCC found that face-to-face interactions were vital for building trust and ensuring the right support was given and was particularly important for families’ experiencing poverty.
This Plan provides a useful start, but achieving the healthiest generation will require bold, comprehensive action that addresses systemic gaps and ensures every baby and child, regardless of their background, has access to the care and support they need to lead a healthy life.
ENDS
Notes to editors
For more information, please contact the UNICEF UK media team on 0207 375 6030 [email protected]
UNICEF UK’s Early Moments Matter campaign
UNICEF UK’s Early Moments Matter campaign is calling on the UK Government to invest properly in early childhood so that parents and carers can access the vital services and financial support to help them and their baby now and set them up for success in the future. Families need a range of support, but the campaign is focusing on financial support for parents, access to early education and childcare, and parents’ mental health as an urgent priority.
Find out more about the campaign or sign the petition here.
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) raises funds for UNICEF’s emergency and development work for children. We also promote and protect children’s rights in the UK and internationally. We are a UK charity, entirely funded by supporters.
United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK), Registered Charity No. 1072612 (England & Wales), SC043677 (Scotland).
For more information visit unicef.org.uk. Follow UNICEF UK on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.