Urgent Action Needed to Strengthen Community Paediatrics in Scotland, Says New Report

A new report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) Scotland warns that children and their families across Scotland are being let down by critical pressures in community paediatric services, a lack of reliable data, and workforce shortages.

Community paediatricians play a vital role in safeguarding vulnerable children, coordinating complex care, and working alongside families and multi-agency partners. Their roles include conducting clinics in various settings and developing local health strategies, safeguarding policies, and lifestyle programs to improve children’s health.

Despite the importance of community paediatric services, the report, titled ‘Collaborative Healthcare in Scotland: Delivering the services children need in the community’ reveals major challenges.

Key Findings:

• Data Deficiency: Accurate national data on community child health services is lacking. In a recent RCPCH Scotland survey, 81% of respondents said data collection needs improvement, and 76% believe better data would directly support their clinical work.
• Workforce Under Pressure: Health professionals are stretched thin. Concerns about staffing shortages, recruitment, and sustainability were echoed by multiple Royal Colleges and professional bodies. The RCPCH survey also revealed that 65% of paediatricians working with Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) believe that long waiting times are harming patient care.
• Inconsistent Access to Services: Children face a postcode lottery when accessing services. RCPCH members reported stark variations in provision, training, and capacity across NHS health boards.
• Poor Transitions to Adulthood: There is currently no statutory duty to support disabled children moving to adult services, putting many at risk of poor health outcomes during this vulnerable phase.
• Strained Neurodevelopmental Services: Rising demand, inadequate support for families, and insufficient national data have left neurodevelopmental (ND) services struggling to cope

RCPCH Scotland is urging the Scottish Government and health boards to take immediate action to strengthen community paediatric services. This includes improving national data collection and sharing, investing in a sustainable workforce, and ensuring timely access to care. Early intervention must be prioritised, and regional disparities addressed. In order to improve transitions to adult services, substantial investment, jointly planned services and better coordination are needed. Neurodevelopmental services also require urgent reform, including improved data collection and publication, greater public awareness of neurodiversity, and family support pre and post assessment.

You can read the report and the full recommendations here.