Children are 'second-rate citizens in eyes of NHS'

YOUNGSTERS are treated like "second-rate citizens" and are being failed by A&E departments, a top doctor has warned.

- By Ella Pickover

Up to half of children end up in emergency with “non-urgent” needs because parents feel they have nowhere else to turn.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health also said that the “stretched” system “does not have the capacity to meet the demand”.

Child A&E attendances have risen from 5.4 million in 2018-19 to 6.3 million in 2024-25.

But moves to improve the system have largely been concentrated on adult services, says the college.

Royal College president Professor Steve Turner said that children are “second-rate citizens in the eyes of NHS funding”.