Shifting care from hospital to communities: what are the challenges to achieving this for children and young people? (25 July 2025)

Summary

Timely health care for children and young people is vital. Missing out on the right interventions at the right time can have a lifelong impact not only on children's health but also on their wider life chances. Yet despite repeated national commitments to improve child health, children are still waiting too long for care, and there is ample evidence of stark inequalities in the health of children between more and less deprived areas.

This Nuffield Trust long read examines whether the policy ambition to shift more care from hospitals into the community – a centrepiece of the recently published 10 Year Health Plan – can deliver lasting benefits for children and young people. It examines the potential upsides of this shift, before looking at the main barriers to improving community services for children and young people.