A LEADING paediatrician is calling on the Scottish Government to do more to improve children's health - highlighting a 50% increase in the number of young people hospitalised in a decade.
Dr Steve Turner, Scotland officer for the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said he was "very disappointed" with lack of detail about children's healthcare in the SNP election manifesto.
The college also said they were struck that First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had brushed over child health issues when outlining her plans for the first 100 days of the new government at a time "when 210,000 children live in poverty, 27% of Scotland’s children are obese or overweight and 350-400 infants die every year."
They are calling for a new strategy on child health in Scotland covering deprivation, young people with mental health problems, what happens when patients are too old for paediatric services and the way GPs look after children.
Dr Turner, a consultant paediatrician in Aberdeen, said: "When I read the (SNP) manifesto I was very disappointed that there was not a lot of child health content. Child health is very important. We know that if you get the first 1000 days between conception and a child's second birthday right, the chance for a healthy life and a healthy lifestyle are much greater."
Almost a third of children admitted to hospital come from the most deprived communities in Scotland, according to Dr Turner.
He said new ways to work with these families had to be identified, adding: "Those families who are poorly organised and default on clinic appointments and come in when their child is ill are much more likely to come from our poorest communities and those admissions are preventable."
He also said patients were coming into hospital now who previously would have been looked after at home.
While the number of children admitted to hospital in Scotland has increased 50% in 10 years, he said the majority spent less than 24 hours on wards.
"There might be a lack of expertise in primary (community) care," he said. "A solution to that could be to identify in a cluster of practices having one GP who has a special interest in paediatrics."
A surge in the number of young people diagnosed with mental health problems has also put services under pressure. The number of girls given compulsory treatment for a mental illness in Scotland rose from 97 in 2011-12 to 172 in 2014-15.
Dr Turner said four new patients with an eating disorder were seen in NHS Grampian every week. Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in Scotland have struggled to cut waiting times for patients with just five out of 14 health boards meeting the target to see all patients referred within 18 weeks.
Dr Turner said: "The SNP manifesto did mention CAMHS but there is still a huge unmet need and we need to see a lot more detail about what the government is going to do to tackle this epidemic."
The Scottish Government has created a new minister for mental health, Maureen Watt, who previously had the public health portfolio.
Aileen Campbell, minister for Public Health and Sport, said:
“The Scottish Government is committed to improving children’s health as part of our determination to make Scotland the best place to grow up. We also recognise the importance of engaging with women before they get pregnant and as early as possible in their pregnancy to ensure the best start in life.
“Specifically we are taking a number of measures, including additional to increase the number of community health visitors by recruiting an extra 500."
A new 10 year plan to transform mental health services is being developed and measures in the new Children and Young People Act are intended to provide a consistent approach for children who need coordinated support, particularly when they move between services.
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