Ensuring children and young people grow up healthy is a priority in any society. The Government has indicated a growing interest in ensuring the needs of children in the UK are taken into account when designing services, including healthcare services.
There are around half a million disabled children in England, a figure that represents up to 18 per cent of the child population. The NHS spends a much higher proportion of its budget ensuring that disabled children have their needs met than providing services for their non-disabled counterparts.
Providing effective health services for disabled children will improve outcomes for them and their families, ensure the child receives the best quality of care and provide better value for money. This report examines best practice around the country. It draws on examples of services for disabled children that meet users’ needs, respond to the government agenda and are effective from both a quality and a cost point of view.