We asked for views specifically on the second point of the petition: a requirement for clear accountability and follow-up when a paediatric cancer referral is downgraded or delayed.As colleagues will remember, the petition was prompted by the tragic passing of Isla Sneddon after she was repeatedly referred and downgraded in her medical assessments on account of her young age.In its response, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health argues that missed opportunities for early intervention, which can lead to irreversible harm,“are not only a service challenge but a clear children’s rights issue.It states that the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child makes timely, appropriate and accessible healthcare an obligation, not just an option.We received a comprehensive response from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care after he held a meeting with Isla’s parents.