By Dr Carianne Hunt, Programme Manager – Starting Well, Liverpool Health Partners

A major new report has painted a stark picture of inequality for children growing up in the North of England post-pandemic compared to those in the rest of the country.

The report was written by more than 40 leading academics from across the North of England, including co-lead author Professor David Taylor Robinson and Professor Helen Stalford from the University of Liverpool.

The Child of the North: Building a fairer future after COVID-19 report, outlines the considerable costs to society and the UK’s economy of rising inequality.

Produced by the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA) and N8 Research Partnership (N8) it looks at a wide range of factors, from child poverty to children in care.

It sets out 18 clear recommendations that can be put in place to tackle the widening gap between the North and the rest of England.

You can read more here

This is a fundamental and robust report that builds on the existing evidence base for, and strategic priority of, addressing directly the specific and personal health needs of mums, babies, children and young people growing up in our community.

In addition, it puts into focus the wider impacts on population health and the subsequent life course implications of children and young people if we don’t change their individual and collective health trajectory now.

We know that COVID-19 has exacerbated health inequalities, particularly for those families living in our region.

The Liverpool Health Partners (LHP) Starting Well programme is committed to improving the health outcomes in pregnancy and for babies, children and young people, specifically focusing on mental health, obesity, chronic conditions and infant mortality.

Starting Well is addressing many of the Report recommendations through our various projects. 

For example, around obesity, we have facilitated the relaunch of the Liverpool Obesity Research Network (LORN). 

LORN is at the heart of a range of multidisciplinary obesity research projects with regional, national and international impact.

Now more than ever we need to work together with partner organisations and groups to stimulate new research activity in Liverpool and the north west – practical solutions are urgently needed to help people achieve and maintain a healthy weight, undertake proper treatment and reverse the obesity crisis.

You can read more about the work or LORN here.

COVID-19 and associated lockdowns has had a disproportionate effect on vulnerable children and children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.

Starting Well supported a recent study which has been funded by the National Institute for Health Research’s (NIHR) Policy Research Programme (Recovery, Renewal, Reset: Research to inform policy responses to COVID-19 funding stream) in May 2021.

The study, Ask, Listen, Act, examined the perceptions, experiences and lessons learned in order to scope, understand, and co-develop the policy priorities for reducing inequalities and mitigating the long-term impacts of COVID-19 for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). 

The full findings will be launched in January and you can read more about the work here.

Our LHP Starting Well community looks forward to continuing to work closely with partners in seeking to tackle together key priorities for our population and improve the chances of children and young people in our region.