Children and Young People's Forum on Health

The Department of Health has unveiled a Children and Young People's Health Forum charged with developing a strategy to improve health outcomes for children, including those needing primary, hospital and urgent care, and children with long-term conditions.

Christine Lenehan, from the Council for Disabled Children, has been appointed as co-chair and NCB's Deputy Chief Executive Barbara Hearn OBE will also be on the forum. Barbara said: "We see this as a landmark opportunity to create a health system with a real focus on the needs of children and young people. This includes how they are spoken to and consulted with as well as their specific medical and health requirements."

This independent group of experts has been established in direct response to emails sent by one thousand Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM) supporters and friends of The Children's Trust, Tadworth, to help raise concerns with Andrew Lansley about the lack of focus on child health within the reform process.

This also follows NCB's work with organisations across the children's voluntary sector to ensure that the Health and Social Care Bill deliver for children and young people. Its recommendations will shape the priorities for child health within the Secretary of State for Health's annual 'mandate' to the NHS.

The Forum, launched on Thursday 26th January, will operate as an equivalent to the NHS Future Forum 'listening exercise' for children and young people. It has been tasked with creating a set of health service outcomes for child health and addressing longstanding system issues that prevent children from accessing universal and specialist healthcare.

Barbara Hearn, NCB Deputy Chief Executive also has a blog on the BBC website title 'How we can help children improve their health' which you can view here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-16851926