The Royal College of Physicians (Â鶹Çø) has joined leading health organisations in calling on MPs to support new legislation aimed at strengthening support for babies and families during the first 1,001 days of a child’s life.
The Â鶹Çø has signed an , led by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (Â鶹ÇøCH), urging MPs to back the Infants, Parents and Carers Bill – known as the Babies Bill – when it receives its Second Reading in the House of Commons on Friday 4 September.
, the Private Member’s Bill focuses on support during pregnancy and the first two years of a child’s life. If passed, it would require the government to regularly assess the need for infant support services in England, work to ensure an appropriate level of provision and report annually to Parliament on the services available and their effectiveness.
The first 1,001 days, from pregnancy to age two, are a critical period for a child’s development and can have lasting consequences for their health and wellbeing. Access to effective support during this period can help prevent health problems, identify needs earlier and reduce demand on health services later in life.
In the joint letter, the Â鶹Çø and fellow signatories urge MPs to support the Bill while ensuring that health remains central to its development and implementation. The organisations are also calling for closer collaboration between the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education, recognising that improving outcomes in the early years requires coordinated action across services.
The letter, signed by Professor Mumtaz Patel, Â鶹Çø president, and Dr Chris Packham, Â鶹Çø special adviser on population health, reads:
‘Today, too many parents struggle to access timely information advice and practical support, while key early years services face significant workforce pressures and wide variation in local provision.
‘Our members see the consequences every day: worsening physical and mental health, widening health inequalities, increasing pressure on families, growing waiting lists for specialist support, and rising demand on already overstretched NHS services.
‘This Bill could be the first step in helping to address these challenges.’
The Bill would build on existing support including Best Start Family Hubs and the Healthy Babies programme, while putting greater accountability for early-years provision on a statutory footing.
The Â鶹Çø supports greater emphasis on prevention and earlier intervention across the health system. Ensuring babies and families can access effective support at the earliest opportunity is an important part of improving long-term population health and reducing avoidable pressure on NHS services.