Worried doctors urge government to extend provision until at least Easter next year
As paediatricians, we are shocked by the refusal of the UK government to extend the provision of free school meals in England to children from low-income backgrounds during the school holidays. Childhood hunger is an issue that should transcend politics.
Few would disagree that one of our most basic human responsibilities is to ensure children have enough to eat. Every day, we see the impact of hunger and malnutrition in our work as paediatricians. It is not unusual for us to care for children who don’t have enough to eat or who don’t have access to a substantial meal outside of what is provided in school. Good nutrition is at the heart of health, wellbeing and development for children and young people. Without it, children’s health outcomes worsen and, with that, so do their life chances.
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