Children still not a priority for health services, NHS Confederation chief executive Gill Morgan admits

Health services are still not prioritising children, NHS Confederation chief executive Gill Morgan said this week.
 
Morgan made the comments at a Local Government Association conference on working across children’s and adults services on Wednesday.

She said: “I wish I was feeling the wind of change and children going up in the priority list but I have to say the conversations I go to are still about mechanisms and not clients and performance management rather than what we do.”

Her criticisms were backed up care services minister Ivan Lewis, who said the “NHS culture is to treat children as little adults”.

Lewis said the 2004 national service framework on children’s health services, which is designed to ensure health services are designed around children’s needs, was no longer being followed in some areas.

“It’s good but it’s a 10-year programme and in many communities it is no longer a reality,” he said.

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