RCPCH Podcasts: Recent Episodes
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Podcasts from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Our vision is a healthier future for children and young people across the world. We play a major role in postgraduate medical education, professional standards, research and policy.
How can paediatricians get started in research alongside clinical work?
This RCPCH podcast is the second in of our series on Research and Child Health. In this episode Davide, a College staff member from the Research and Evidence Team, is joined by Professor Will Carroll, respiratory paediatrician and previous Officer of Research at the College. The two discuss how paediatricians at any level can get started in research alongside a clinical role.
Will shares his experience in building research infrastructure for issues regarding children and young people in district general hospitals. He reflects on the challenges he faces, from limited time and funding to balancing priorities. Will highlights the supports available to paediatricians at various stages of their careers, such as trainee research networks, the NIHR and your local research and innovation department.
If you are enthusiastic about research, tune in to hear Will's journey and advice for getting started.
- Read our news page summary and download the transcript from episode 2: https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/news-events/news/2026-08/child-health-research-2-getting-started-finding-support-professor-will
- Discover more of our podcasts on RCPCH Learning: https://learning.rcpch.ac.uk/home/podcasts/
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast relates only to the speaker and not necessarily to their employer, organisation, RCPCH or any other group or individual.
About Will
Professor Will Carroll is a consultant respiratory paediatrician at University Hospitals North Midlands, Honorary Professor in Child Health at Keele University and RCPCH Area Officer for West England. He is also our previous Officer for Research.
How can we build services that better understand population needs?
In this episode, Dr Jonathan Darling speaks to Dr Nadeem Moghal, Director and Chief Medical and Innovation officer at Strasys. The discussion moves beyond traditional leadership theory and focuses on the practical realities of leading in complex environments, particularly where transformation and service improvement are required.
The two explore the challenge of building better services in increasingly complex systems. Using the example of paediatric services, Nadeem discusses the fragility that can exist within healthcare systems and the importance of understanding population needs. He highlights the growing importance of evidence-based leadership and a system-wide perspective when planning for the future.
Jonathan and Nadeem share several powerful insights on leadership, personal development and driving meaningful change. Leadership is not simply about directing others; it is about having the courage to grow, the determination to drive change and the resilience to persevere when the path becomes difficult.
Read Jonathan's reflections, see Nadeem's recommended authors and comments and download the transcript on the RCPCH website
About Nadeem
Most healthcare consultants observe the system from the outside. Nadeem Moghal has spent over 30 years inside it, as a clinician, a senior leader, and a patient. That combination of perspectives shapes everything he does at Strasys.
At Strasys, Nadeem leads the firm's clinical and innovation agenda. He is passionate about improving healthcare equality and life chances, and has been pioneering population-centric healthcare reform. His recent work includes supporting the reshaping of care for children and young people with Alder Hey, developing national healthcare quality governance capability, and enabling integrated care health systems to think and operate differently.
He questions current approaches, encourages different thinking, and works with leaders to build more equitable communities. Thinking differently, underpinned by data analytics and connected to real stories, is what makes Strasys his natural home.
Want to know more about the RCPCH's Assessment Review particularly what, why, when and how it's going to affect you? This podcast episode aims to do just that by bringing together some of the College faculty who have been involved through the planning, development and pilot stages.
Dr Cathryn Chadwick, outgoing Vice President for Training and Assessment, Dr Josh Hodgson, Chair of the RCPCH Trainee Committee and Dr Sarah Hallett, Trainee Representative for Assessment at the RCPCH, discuss proposed changes to workplace-based assessments which are designed to better reflect real clinical practice.
Cathryn has been leading the work to review the assessment programme within the Progress+ curriculum for doctors in postgraduate paediatric training. After two pilots and a consultation on the new workplace-based assessments, the proposed changes have been submitted to the General Medical Council for approval. Drawing on insights from trainees, trainers and College teams, the review marks a significant step towards embedding assessment within everyday clinical work.
In this conversation, Cathryn, Josh and Sarah outline the Assessment Review process, proposed changes, and predicted timeline for implementation, and address concerns that have come up along the way.
- Learn more and keep up to date with the Assessment Review process - on RCPCH website
- Read our news page summary and download the transcript from episode 1 - on RCPCH website
- Discover more of our podcasts - on RCPCH Learning
About Cathryn
Cathryn is the outgoing RCPCH Vice President for Training and Assessment, a post she has held since 2021. She is a General Paediatric Consultant at Northampton General Hospital where she has a neonatal interest. Cathryn is excited by the opportunities in the new curriculum for trainees to develop capabilities to provide holistic, joined up care for children and young people.
About Josh
Josh is the Chair of the RCPCH Trainee Committee and a Paediatric Intensive Care Medicine trainee based at the Evelina London Children's Hospital. He is an Associate Fellow of the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM and a member of the Academy of Medical Educators and an Instructor for the Resuscitation Council (UK).
About Sarah
Sarah is the trainee rep for Assessments at RCPCH and an ST6 (S1) in General Paediatrics in the East Midlands. She has provided trainee input throughout the Assessment Review and also sits on the Training Quality and START Boards, as well as the SPIN Working Group.
Representing around 30% of the medical workforce in the NHS, SAS doctors are essential to delivering high-quality care. Yet their role is still evolving in terms of recognition and development. In this episode, Dr Jonathan Darling, who has recently completed tenure as RCPCH Vice President for Education and Professional Development, speaks with Dr Kumar Swamy, neonatology specialist and RCPCH SAS Joint Chair about how the RCPCH SAS committee works to amplify the impact and recognition of SAS doctors through consistent and persuasive messaging.
The two discuss how leadership rarely begins with a title but with curiosity, involvement, and a willingness to contribute. Kumar reflects on his journey to developing leadership skills organically by stepping forward in areas he cared about and learning along the way. Emphasising the benefits of shared leadership, he explains the co-leadership model he follows as RCPCH SAS Joint Chair. This is persistent, collaborative and meaningful leadership in action.
- Read Jonathan's reflections and download the transcript from episode 12 - on RCPCH website
- See related resources about 'Leading the way'- on RCPCH Learning
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast relates only to the speaker and not necessarily to their employer, organisation, RCPCH or any other group or individual.
About Kumar
Kumar Swamy is a Specialist in Neonatology at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.
He has been involved with the RCPCH SAS committee for over ten years, working first as a regional representative. As a Joint Chair, part of his responsibility is to represent the SAS interests of the College on the Academy of Medical Royal College's SAS meetings. He is also a SAS Tutor for Nottingham University Hospitals and aims to support SAS doctors both locally and nationally.
How can we use digital technology to address children's physical and mental health needs and shift from reactive to anticipatory, personalised care?
This episode is the first of a series on research and child health and discusses the role of technology in transforming child health. Professor Paul Dimitri, Director of Research and Innovation at Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust and paediatric endocrinology consultant talks with Nish Talawila Da Camara, Head of Research and Evidence. Paul outlines how digital tools, data and artificial intelligence can be used to build a more proactive and humane system for addressing children and young people's health.
There are many exciting advancements in the world of digital health technology, from new infrastructure like the incoming National Centre for Child Health Technology to advancements like remote monitoring, digital twins and AI. But we now face new challenges: Paul emphasises the need for child-focused digital standards and safeguarding measures. As children and young people's physical and mental needs are rising, 'the real opportunity isn't the technology itself. It's what we choose to do with it.'
- Read our news page summary and download the transcript from episode 1 - on RCPCH website
- Discover more of our podcasts - on RCPCH Learning
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast relates only to the speaker and not necessarily to their employer, organisation, RCPCH or any other group or individual.
About Paul
Professor Paul Dimitri is a Consultant in Paediatric Endocrinology and the Director of Research and Innovation at Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust. He has been working in the field of Paediatrics since 1998 and Paediatric Endocrinology since 2004.
Paul took office as Vice President for Science and Research at the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in early 2022 and is leading on the development of the National Centre for Child Health Technology, aiming to bring together industry, universities, healthcare professionals, children and young people and their families to develop the most advanced healthcare technologies for children worldwide.
How does the College combine paediatric and policy expertise to influence legislation? Professor Andrew Rowland, Officer for Child Protection, talks about our work with colleagues from RCPCH and NSPCC.
The UK Government introduced the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill in 2024. This proposed measures to improve information sharing between services, strengthen safeguarding, reform children's social care and raise standards and protections in schools. This received Royal Assent in early May 2026.
Andrew invites Elizabeth Collin, RCPCH Public Affairs and Campaign Manager and Joanna Barrett, NSPCC Associate Head of Policy, to discuss the work of the College and the NSPCC in influencing this piece of legislation and reflections on the joint campaign for equal protection from assault across the UK. He then speaks with Grace Hastie, RCPCH Policy Manager for Child Protection and Ethics, on the long-term engagement and policy work surrounding the bill.
- Read more about our campaign to give every child in the UK equal protection from assault - on RCPCH website
- Get involved in the College's influencing work - Paediatric Influencing Network
- Find out more about the NSPCC's ongoing campaign to end physical punishment – on NSPCC website
Download transcript (PDF)
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast relates only to the speaker and not necessarily to their employer, organisation, RCPCH or any other group or individual.
About Andrew
Professor Andrew Rowland is the RCPCH Officer for Child Protection and a consultant in paediatric emergency medicine. He has worked nationally and internationally in child protection, advocating for and with children and young people and safeguarding vulnerable groups.
About Elizabeth
Elizabeth Collin is the RCPCH Public Affairs and Campaign Manager. She works with College Officers, staff and members to make the case to Parliament and government for policies to support the paediatric workforce and improve child health outcomes.
About Joanna
Joanna Barrett is the Associate Head of Policy at the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). She was heavily involved in the successful campaign to end the physical punishment of children in Scotland and is leading NSPCC's work on this campaign in England.
About Grace
Grace Hastie is the Policy Manager for Child Protection and Ethics at RCPCH. She works closely with the Officer for Child Protection to improve child protection and safeguarding across the UK.
How can we overcome the transition from clinical practice to managerial roles?
In this episode, Dr Jonathan Darling, RCPCH Vice President for Education and Professional Development, speaks with Dr Erum Jamall, a consultant paediatrician and currently the Divisional Medical Director for Women's, Children and Core Services at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust. The two discuss leadership within NHS trusts and the crucial role of medical management.
A key theme was the importance of viewing medical management as an essential part of trust leadership, particularly by building networks and collaborating across stakeholders. Erum shared her experiences of leading during the COVID‑19 pandemic, highlighting how even the toughest environments can offer an opportunity for meaningful growth.
Erum pointed to the difficulty in balancing clinical and managerial roles, and cites self-belief, coaching and supportive networks as essential in navigating such challenges in senior leadership roles. Finally, she emphasised the importance of diverse and inclusive leadership, noting how varied perspectives strengthen teams and improve outcomes.
- Read Jonathan's reflections and download the transcript from episode 11 - on RCPCH website
- See related resources about 'Leading the way'- on RCPCH Learning
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast relates only to the speaker and not necessarily to their employer, organisation, RCPCH or any other group or individual.
About Erum
Erum is a consultant paediatrician, with sub-specialty accreditation in paediatric emergency medicine. She is currently the Divisional Medical Director for Women's, Children and Core Services at Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust. Her previous leadership roles include Divisional Clinical Director for Children and Young People Services and Associate Medical Director for Quality & Clinical Effectiveness at Whittington Health NHS Trust.
She is passionate about diverse representation and clinical expertise in leadership roles across Health Care Organisations and equitable access to healthcare for all. She firmly believes that we can shape better outcomes for Children and Young People through better leadership.
How can we be firm, fair, and tenacious in standing up for our teams and those we serve?
In this episode, Dr Jonathan Darling, RCPCH Vice President for Education and Professional Development, speaks with Dr Kay Tyerman, a paediatric nephrologist. Kay's approach to leadership is rooted in advocacy and collaboration, qualities that are essential in shaping effective health systems.
Kay and Jonathan talk about how hard knowledge has helped her build a valid argument to invest in child health, how she's been encouraged by a simple thank you, and how she's learned when to hand over a role to someone else. Because leadership is about being genuine and curious and building trust.
- Read Jonathan's reflections and download the transcript from episode 10 - on RCPCH website
- See related resources about 'Leading the way'- on RCPCH Learning
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast relates only to the speaker and not necessarily to their employer, organisation, RCPCH or any other group or individual.
About Kay
Kay is a paediatric nephrologist in Leeds, current Head of School for Yorkshire and Humber and Officer for Workforce Planning.
Over her consultant career, she has undertaken a variety of portfolio posts and voluntary roles. Her proudest achievement is her family and feeling as enthusiastic about paediatrics now as when she undertook her first post at the Norfolk & Norwich.
We are working in a period of sustained challenge. Many colleagues across the health system are stretched, fatigued and, in some cases, bordering on burnout.
In this episode, Will Clement, a leadership consultant, executive coach and facilitator who has worked across the NHS and with RCPCH, tell us how compassionate leadership offers more than kindness; it delivers measurable improvements in wellbeing, team cohesion and outcomes.
- Read Jonathan's reflections and download the transcript from episode 9 - on RCPCH website
- See related resources about 'Leading the way'- on RCPCH Learning
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast relates only to the speaker and not necessarily to their employer, organisation, RCPCH or any other group or individual.
About Will Clement
Will Clement is an experienced leadership consultant, executive coach, and facilitator, with a background spanning public, private, and not-for-profit sectors. He is the founder and Managing Director of Clement Leadership Development, a values-led consultancy specialising in leadership development, executive coaching, and organisational culture.
With over 20 years of experience, including several senior leadership roles with Royal Mail, The AA, NHS and other large complex organisations, Will brings a grounded, practical approach informed by contemporary leadership thinking, coaching psychology, and systems leadership. His style is purposeful, challenging, and human, helping leaders lead with clarity, courage, and care in high pressure environments.
Clement Leadership Development has delivered impactful programmes for national bodies, including NHS Trusts, Royal Colleges, universities, police leadership teams, and local authorities. Will also leads the design and delivery of bespoke leadership frameworks, awaydays, and cultural diagnostics.
A qualified Level 7 executive coach and MBA graduate, Will is passionate about helping drive purpose and professionalism in leaders.
All child health professionals, no matter their role, must have knowledge and skills in safeguarding. As a designated doctor in child protection, Vicki has particular leadership experience in this area and has recently led the redevelopment of intercollegiate competencies for safeguarding and children in care.
Vicki speaks with host Dr Jonathan Darling about her career, which often took an unconventional path; she worked as a teaching fellow, got involved with the RCPCH trainees' committee and became head of service of a growing community paediatrics team.
Leadership often starts with saying "yes" to opportunities that challenge us. But, as Vicki and Jonathan discuss, we can also ask for help, building collaboration. Prioritising self-care is also important, and Vicki has a simple strategy: three minutes of music to reset (in her case, some 1980s soft rock!).
- Read Jonathan's reflections and download the transcript from episode 8 - on RCPCH website
- See related resources about 'Leading the way'- on RCPCH Learning
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast relates only to the speaker and not necessarily to their employer, organisation, RCPCH or any other group or individual.
About Vicki
I am a Consultant Paediatrician in Mansfield and the Designated Doctor for Looked After Children in Nottinghamshire. I work in the community paediatric service and with children in care. I've held leadership, management and supervision roles within the Trust.
I was appointed to the RCPCH Child Protection Standing Committee in February 2019 working with the College to support paediatricians, progress training and improve health outcomes for children in care, with an interest in education and migrant health. I was appointed as the Assistant Officer for Child Protection (Education) in April 2022, developing and delivering courses and working as the clinical editor for the eLfH level three safeguarding children and young people eLearning. I was project lead for the recent update of the intercollegiate safeguarding children and children in care competencies. A multi-partner undertaking which took two years to complete. I was also co-lead for the development and publication of initial health assessment (IHAs) standards for children in care. I regularly teach on national courses and author journal articles.
Failure, Steve tells us, is a good teacher, and when you get involved in leadership, expect to make mistakes (and learn from them).
In this episode of our monthly series of leadership conversations, Dr Jonathan Darling, RCPCH VP for Education and Professional Development, speaks with Steve about how his academic and leadership roles evolved, starting with a thin CV and stepping up as opportunities arose. He became involved in child health research, first in small groups, and then collaborating with colleagues across the UK and globe. His route to RCPCH President began with other College roles, including Scottish Officer and Registrar.
Steve and Jonathan talk about his leadership values: realistic communication, a flat hierarchy and a culture of respect.
- Read Jonathan's reflections and download the transcript from episode 7 on RCPCH website
- See related resources about 'Leading the Way'- on RCPCH Learning
This month, it's our usual podcast host Jonathan in the spotlight! He's interviewed by Arnab Seal, who featured in our previous episode.
How to pinpoint the start of Jonathan's leadership journey? Perhaps when he was a senior registrar and helped set up a junior doctors' committee to come up with realistic proposals to resolve some of the things that weren't working as well as they could - like rotas. "That was leadership, but I didn't really realise it at the time," he says, "I was just doing what I felt needed to be done to make a difference."
It's a reminder that leadership often starts with small but meaningful actions.
Jonathan went on to become a consultant and senior lecturer in Leeds, and engaged in medical education and safeguarding. Now Vice President for Education and Professional Development at the College, where he enjoys learning from others' expertise and perspectives, he's been at the helm of the RCPCH Thrive Paediatrics programme, which supports paediatricians to promote wellbeing in their work. As Arnab says in his reflections on the episode, "the best leaders are those who lift others up and help them thrive".
- Read Arnab's reflections and download the transcript from episode 5 - on RCPCH website
- See related resources about 'Leading the way'- on RCPCH Learning
Arnab's story is ambitious and inspiring: he helped establish a new hospital and introduced a pioneering approach to healthcare in India. That's not something many of us can say we've done. What dreams do we hold, and how can we create space to pursue them?
In the fifth episode of 'Leading the way', our monthly series of leadership conversations, Dr Jonathan Darling, RCPCH Vice President for Education and Training, speaks with Dr Arnab Seal, a retired paediatrician in Leeds who worked in both general and community paediatrics (as he loved doing both). His special area of interest is neurodevelopmental paediatrics and he became the lead paediatrician for the service in Leeds.
Arnab shares his insights with us on pursuing dreams, developing leadership qualities and "leaning in" to adversity.
- Read Jonathan's reflections and download the transcript from episode 5 - on RCPCH website
- See related resources about 'Leading the way'- on RCPCH Learning
What's at the heart of leadership? For Dal, it's about being authentic - to be self-aware and grounded in our values. But it's also about learning to be vulnerable - to admit when we don't have the answers and to let go of our "armour". It's not easy, but it's powerful.
In the fourth episode of 'Leading the way', our monthly series of leadership conversations, Dr Jonathan Darling, RCPCH Vice President for Education and Training, speaks with Dr Dal Hothi, consultant paediatric nephrologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London and recent Officer for Lifelong Careers at RCPCH.
There are many layers of learning. Dal explains how her journey has been about "going from a space of knowing to learning". She's become a leader because she is "willing to learn and be open to experiences and trying to understand".
- Find out more about Dal and see related resources - on RCPCH Learning
- Read Jonathan's reflections on this episode
- Download the transcript (PDF)
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast relates only to the speaker and not necessarily to their employer, organisation, RCPCH or any other group or individual.
Josh’s story began with a simple but powerful moment—he took an opportunity that came his way.
In the third episode of 'Leading the way', our monthly series of leadership conversations, Dr Jonathan Darling, RCPCH Vice President for Education and Training, speaks with Dr Josh Hodgson, new Chair of the Trainee Committee about his journey into leadership.
They consider how leadership so often starts with recognising the right opportunity and having the courage to take it. Leadership development doesn't have to be formal, and finding mentors and taking time for reflection can be just as impactful as structured training.
- Find out more about Josh and see related resources - on RCPCH Learning
- Read Jonathan's reflections on this episode
- Download the transcript (PDF)
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast relates only to the speaker and not necessarily to their employer, organisation, RCPCH or any other group or individual.
Step out of your comfort zone, encourage others, simply show up with integrity... leadership doesn’t always mean taking centre stage.
In this second episode of 'Leading the way', our monthly series of leadership conversations, by Dr Jonathan Darling, RCPCH Vice President for Education and Training, speaks with Dr Emma Dyer as she completes her tenure as Trainee Committee Chair.
Emma used to think of leaders as charismatic, sociable, the ones who always put their hands up in a meeting. But as an introvert, she's brought her own way of being an effective - and collaborative - leader to the workplace and College.
- Find out more about Emma and see related resources - on RCPCH Learning
- Read Jonathan's reflections on this episode
- Dowload the transcript (PDF)
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast relates only to the speaker and not necessarily to their employer, organisation, RCPCH or any other group or individual.
Leadership isn’t about titles - it’s about action, passion and impact. And it's for everyone working in child health.
From clinical academia to national leadership in education and training... Dr Simon Broughton, General Paediatrician and RCPCH Officer for Recruitment, shares how mentorship, joy in work and early succession planning have shaped his career.
This is our first episode in 'Leading the way', our monthly series of leadership conversations, hosted by Dr Jonathan Darling, RCPCH Vice President for Education and Training.
- Find out more about Simon, get the transcript and see related resources
- Read Jonathan's reflections on this episode
The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast relates only to the speaker and not necessarily to their employer, organisation, RCPCH or any other group or individual.
Dr Ronny Cheung, Officer for Health Services, joins Alison Firth, Head of Health Policy, and Bruce Warwick, Public Affairs Manager, for a lively discussion on how our landmark report – a blueprint for transforming child health services in England, published last autumn - has helped secure commitments to deliver care equitably for children at a national and local level.
Together, they take a close look at what these national commitments over the past six months mean for elective and community services. The trio also reflect on some of the challenges along the way as well as the opportunities to come. Looking ahead, Ronny, Alison and Bruce consider the next six months for child health services. There's a focus on the Long-Term Workforce Plan and 10 Year Health Plan refresh and how the recommendations in our blueprint have helped focus the College’s approach to these major opportunities. As ever when working in influencing, events often overtake us no matter how hard we plan. As such, it is worth noting that this episode was recorded before the College heard the news that NHS England would be abolished. In this episode, you'll get a rare insight into how staff and members produce policy and then use this to influence decision makers at a national level.
Download transcript
See our blueprint for transforming child health services in England
In this final episode of our podcast series on the changing climate, this mountainous country is seeing extreme temperature fluctuations, landslides and air pollution, endangering communities and impacting healthcare. But, there are some lessons around adaptation, as our guests who work or have volunteered in Nepal explain.
Dr Bernadette O’Hare hosts a fascinating and wide-ranging conversation with Dr Jamun Singh, a Nepalese paediatrician, and Dr Rashmi D’Souza, a UK-based paediatrician and Heather Watson, a UK-based paediatric nurse, who volunteered with Dr Singh in our Global Links programme.
Dr Singh gives a powerful account of the dramatic effects climate change is having in Nepal, from extreme temperature fluctuations to the indirect dangers posed by cooking on indoor fires. He highlights the impact of floods, which have triggered landslides, further endangering communities and disrupting daily life. Despite these challenges, Dr Singh shares how Nepal is adapting, including changing school schedules to cope with climate extremes and harnessing the country's hydropower potential as a sustainable energy source.
In a separate conversation, Bernadette caught up with Dr Camilla Kingdon in her last weeks as RCPCH President to find out more about the impacts of air pollution, as well as find out about her experiences visiting Nepal over the years.
This episode not only sheds light on the specific challenges faced by children in Nepal due to climate change but also underscores the importance of global cooperation and local adaptation strategies. Tune in to hear these compelling stories and learn how communities are striving to protect their children and future in the face of a rapidly changing environment.
Download transcript (PDF)
Resources:
- The impact of climate change on global child health - position statement
- The impact of climate change on child health around the world: results of a survey of child health professionals outside the UK
- Climate change - resources for child health professionals
- Global Links programme
Floods, heatwaves and wildfires have become increasingly common across Canada. And as retired paediatrician Dr Julian Pleydell-Pearce explains in this episode of our climate change series, this makes a profound impact on the lives of children and young people - and the way health services are delivered.
In episode two of this three-part series, Professor Bernadette O’Hare speaks with guest Julian, who worked as a paediatrician in Canada before his recent retirement. Julian shares his firsthand experiences of how shifting weather patterns has had a drastic impact on the lives of children and young people in Canada.
Julian explains how heatwaves are causing widespread damage, leading to devastating wildfires that have displaced communities, destroyed vast areas of forest and severely degraded air quality. Beyond the physical dangers, Julian shares the personal challenges he faces in a region increasingly affected by climate change.
Drawing from our recently published survey, this series aims to deepen our understanding of the risks posed by climate change, particularly for the world’s most vulnerable population: children.
We hope this podcast series deepens your understanding of the serious impacts climate change has on children's health. There's an urgent need for action, so tune in to hear about how we can all contribute to creating a safer, healthier future for children everywhere.
Download transcript (PDF)
Resources:
- The impact of climate change on global child health - position statement
- The impact of climate change on child health around the world: results of a survey of child health professionals outside the UK
- Climate change - resources for child health professionals
Less predictable weather in the past several years in this east African country have made it increasingly difficult to grow crops, leading to food shortages and skyrocketing prices. There are broader consequences for children's health, too, as Eva Odongpiny, a pharmacist in Uganda, discusses with us. These include an increased vulnerability to diseases like HIV and cholera, air pollution and water scarcity.
This is the first episode in our three-part series on the impacts of climate change on children's health around the word. Host, Dr Bernadette O’Hare, chair of the international workstream of the RCPCH climate change working group, speaks with Eva who has firsthand experience of the environmental challenges children - and health services - face.
Eva explains how the imbalance between supply and demand of food has resulted in widespread hunger and malnutrition. She talks too about how forced migrations due to flooding interrupts normal life routines. And that can impact adherence to medicines, such as antiretrovirals. And, Eva and Bernie explore the mental health toll on children, as the environmental challenges contribute to rising levels of eco-anxiety.
Drawing from our recently published survey, this series aims to deepen our understanding of the risks posed by climate change, particularly for the world’s most vulnerable population: children. We hope to inspire action to tackle climate change to protect children in Uganda and around the globe. So, tune in to learn more about how we can all contribute to creating a safer, healthier future for children everywhere.
Download transcript (PDF)
Resources:
- The impact of climate change on global child health - position statement
- The impact of climate change on child health around the world: results of a survey of child health professionals outside the UK
- Climate change - resources for child health professionals
Health inequalities are widening in paediatrics. Those that are more disadvantaged experience more safety issues whilst in health care. If we can make our healthcare systems more equitable for the children and young people we can for, they will be safer in our care.
In episode 5 of our series on paediatric patient safety, we speak with Dr Helen Stewart, Dr Cian Wade and Dr Mimi Malhotra to explore how patient safety and health inequalities are inextricably linked. Tackling healthcare inequalities can improve safety and vice versa.
Dr Stewart shares her knowledge and experience as the RCPCH Officer for Health Improvement as to how our children are impacted by health inequalities. Dr Wade and Dr Malhotra discuss their BMJ paper, Action on patient safety can reduce health inequalities, and explore some of the improvement avenues that are available to clinicians and service providers.
Thank you for listening.
Dr Natalie Wyatt, RCPCH Clinical Fellow and Jonathan Bamber, RCPCH Head of Quality Improvement | Produced by 18Sixty
Please be advised that this podcast series contains stories relating to child death and harm. All views, thoughts and opinions expressed belong to the guests and not necessarily to their employer, linked organisations or RCPCH.
Download transcript (PDF)
About the Patient Safety series
As doctors we ‘first, do no harm’. However, the systems in which we work are rife with safety issues and resultant harm. In thinking about how to improve this, we have brought together leaders in the field to discuss challenging and thought-provoking issues around keeping our children safe in healthcare settings.
We hope you will be entertained, educated and energised to make strides in improving the safety of the children that you care for.
The RCPCH Patient Safety Portal has lots of resources, including a wealth of learning about paediatric patient safety. The RCPCH health inequalities programme of work can be found on our key topics pages.
It is imperative to turn this knowledge into action through improvement activities.
About the speakers
- Dr Helen Stewart is a Consultant in Paediatric Emergency Medicine at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. She also has an interest in public health and health inequalities, which has led to her becoming the Officer for Health Improvement at RCPCH.
- Dr Cian Wade completed a National Medical Director Clinical Fellowship with NHS England. He is a Fulbright Scholar who recently completed a Master of Public Health at Harvard University and now consults for health systems and healthcare providers.
- Dr Mimi Malhotra completed a National Medical Director Clinical Fellowship with the Health Foundation. Dr Malhotra continues to work as a respiratory trainee in London with ab honorary clinical lectureship at UCL.
Topics/organisations/papers referenced in this episode
- Wade, C, Malhotra, A.M., et al (2022). Action of patient safety can reduce health inequalities. BMJ
- North West & North Wales critical care transport service
- Michael Marmot
- Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM)
- RCPCH Health Improvement Committee
- National Medical Directors Fellowship
- The Health Foundation
- RCPCH Child health inequalities driven by child poverty in the UK - position statement
- Increased risk of perioperative pulmonary embolism and sepsis in black patients (Urban Institute)
- Increase risk of adverse drug events in black people (Medical Care)
- MBRRACE study: A comparison of the care of Asian, Black and White women who have experienced a stillbirth or neonatal death
- Racial and ethnic differences in bystander CPR for witnessed cardiac arrest (The New England Journal of Medicine)
- Skin Deep
- WHAM (Wellbeing and Health Action Movement) health inequalities map
- Race-based vs race-conscious model of medicine (The Lancet)
- Decentralisation of public services in Greater Manchester (PDF)
- Sugar tax explained
- Vaping in children (RCPCH response to Government plan to ban disposable vapes)
- Health and Social Care Committee - a Commons Select Committee
- Core20PLUS5 – An approach to reducing health inequalities for children and young people
- Nationwide Children's Hospital (US)
- Shared decision making framework (NICE)
- Closed feedback loop communication
- Ian Sinha: The cost of the clinic visit (European Respiratory Journal)
- RCPCH Engaging children and young people resources
- RCPCH Six step toolkit for child health inequalities and poverty
- WHAM (Wellbeing and Health Action Movement) portal
- Institute for Healthcare Improvement
- Natural language processing (Wikipedia)
It is imperative that children and young people are central to the co-design and co-production of our patient safety improvement interventions.
In this episode, we speak with Dr Jane Runnacles, consultant paediatrician at St. George's Hospital, and Dr Victoria Dublon, paediatric diabetes consultant at the Royal Free Hospital. Both are champions of improvement work that puts the young person and their needs first.
As Jane and Victoria describe, involving children, young people and their families in improvement work improves the experience and outcome for all involved. There are fantastic examples of co-creating and co-producing safety improvements in healthcare.
We discuss the practicalities of how to do this and who to involve in your healthcare setting, and we hear about some of Jane and Victoria’s successes.
Thank you for listening.
Dr Natalie Wyatt, RCPCH Clinical Fellow and Jonathan Bamber RCPCH Head of Quality Improvement Produced by 18Sixty
Please be advised that this podcast series contains stories relating to child death and harm. All views, thoughts and opinions expressed belong to the guests and not necessarily to their employer, linked organisations or RCPCH.
Download transcript (PDF)
About the patient safety series
As doctors we ‘first, do no harm’. However, the systems in which we work are rife with safety issues and resultant harm. In thinking about how to improve this, we have brought together leaders in the field to discuss challenging and thought-provoking issues around keeping our children safe in healthcare settings.
We hope you will be entertained, educated and energised to make strides in improving the safety of the children that you care for.
The RCPCH Patient Safety Portal has lots of resources. And our engaging children and young people web pages can help you get started on your engagement journey to effectively work with children and young people to improve their healthcare.
Dr Victoria Dublon is based at the Royal Free Hospital and part of the Trust-wide diabetes team. She has been a paediatric diabetes consultant for eight years, working primarily at the Royal Free Hospital as well as running clinics at Barnet Hospital and Chase Farm Hospital. As a registrar, she trained in adolescent health as well as endocrinology and diabetes and this continues to be a big part of her work. Victoria is involved in improvement work within the department as well as being a champion of ‘Me First’, striving to put the young person and their needs first.
Dr Jane Runnacles is a consultant in ambulatory paediatrics at St George's hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London and clinical governance lead for her department. She has an interest in acute paediatrics, simulation and quality improvement. During her postgraduate training in London, she was awarded distinction in her MA in clinical education and spent a year as a Darzi clinical leadership fellow at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Jane is a Training Programme Director for the London School of Paediatrics and leads their leadership and QI education programmes.
Topics/organisations/papers referenced in this episode
- Great Ormond Street Hospital
- Royal Free Hospital
- Darzi Fellowship
- Peter Lachman
- RCPCH SAFE Collaborative
- RCPCH QI Central
- Don Berwick
- Whiteboard communication project (on QI Central)
- Yincent Tse
- NHS blog - Asking "What Matters To You?"
- NHS - Co-production
- Paediatric Early Warning System (PEWS)
- St George's Hospital
- St George’s Hospital - Children and Young People’s Council
- Wac Arts
- WHO World Patient Safety Day (17 September)
- ‘Listening to you’ project at Birmingham Children's Hospital
- NHS Patient Safety Incident Response Framework
- Safety huddles (part of Situation Awareness for Everyone)
It is not enough just to collect data on harm occurring to children in healthcare settings. We need the data to be robust, comparable across the NHS and for it to be transformed into effective, meaningful changes in outcome.
In episode 3 of our series on paediatric patient safety, we speak with Dr Damian Roland, a paediatric emergency medicine clinician scientist and head of service for the Children's Emergency Department at Leicester Royal Infirmary.
As Damian discusses on the podcast, in order to learn from harm and prevent it occurring again we need to collect data and investigate what is occurring across the healthcare system rather than looking to individuals. Removing the individual, more punitive approach to harm investigations could improve the quality of how we record and report harm.
There is already a wealth of learning available from a range of sources including national reports, coroner’s findings described in regulation 28 reports to prevent future death and large-scale reviews like those of the Health Services Safety Investigations Body. We can investigate whether the causes of harm identified in these reports are occurring where we work and make proactive steps to avert it.
Damian also shares the progress of the SPOT programme (System-wide Paediatric Observation Tracking). This looks to reduce harm and improve how we learn from harm by creating a standardised common language to identify and discuss children whose health is deteriorating.
Thank you for listening.
Hosted by Dr Natalie Wyatt, RCPCH Clinical Fellow and Jonathan Bamber RCPCH Head of Quality Improvement | Produced by 18Sixty
Download transcript (PDF)
Please be advised that this series contains stories relating to child death and harm. All views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast series belong to the guests and not necessarily to their employer, linked organisations or RCPCH.
About the Patient Safety series
As doctors we ‘first, do no harm’. However, the systems in which we work are rife with safety issues and resultant harm. In thinking about how to improve this, we have brought together leaders in the field to discuss challenging and thought-provoking issues around keeping our children safe in healthcare settings. We hope you will be entertained, educated and energised to make strides in improving the safety of the children that you care for.
The RCPCH Patient Safety Portal at https://safety.rcpch.ac.uk has lots of resources. It includes a wealth of information summarising reports and investigations that identify what puts children at risk of harm. It is imperative to turn this knowledge into action through improvement activities.
More about Dr Damian Roland
Damian is a paediatric emergency medicine clinician scientist and is head of service for the Children's Emergency Department at Leicester Royal Infirmary. Among his many achievements, Damian has been focused on addressing the challenges of identifying deterioration in health in children. He created the Paediatric Observation Priority Score for Children's Emergency Care and currently he is instrumental in the NHS England SPOT programme.
Topics/organisations/papers referenced in this episode
- John Madar (PDF)
- Datix
- Health Services Safety Investigations Body
- Royal College of Emergency Medicine
- Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
- René Amalberti
- Adrian Plunkett
- Learning from Excellence
- David Sinton (on X)
- POPS (Paediatric Observation Priority Score for Children’s Emergency Care) - (PDF)
- Swiss Cheese Model (on National Library for Medicine)
- NHSE SPOT: System-wide Paediatric Observation Tracking programme - guidance
- Emma Lim
- Critically Careful forums (University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust)
- Peter Lachman
- Ronny Cheung
- Eric Hollnagel: From Safety-1 to Safety II (PDF)
- Charles Vincent
- Mary Dixon Woods: How to improve healthcare improvement - BMJ
- The Health Foundation
- Creating Communities of Practice
- Rhizomology - Rhizomatic Knowledge Communities, Edtechtalk, Webcast Academy
Psychological safety in healthcare settings is the condition in which you feel included, safe to learn, safe to contribute and safe to challenge the status quo - without fear of being embarrassed, marginalised or punished. And it's an essential foundation in building a safety culture.
Individually, feeling psychologically safe improves performance and innovation, while feeling unsafe reduces productivity and harms retention. In a highly productive team, it is about feeling safe to take risks, to learn from each other and to feel resilient and able to tackle the difficult and varying challenges of healthcare with a healthy mindset.
This is the second episode in our patient safety series and features Dr Dal Hothi and Dr Jess Morgan. Learn how you can reflect on your own behaviour, champion effective communication and create a psychologically safe space within your team.
Hosts: Dr Natalie Wyatt, RCPCH Clinical Fellow and Jonathan Bamber, RCPCH Head of Quality Improvement
Produced by 18Sixty
Please be advised that this podcast series contains stories relating to child death and harm. All views, thoughts and opinions expressed belong to the guests and not necessarily to their employer, linked organisations or RCPCH.
If you are a healthcare professional and you are worried that you are suffering with burnout please speak to your team, your GP or Practitioner Health.
Download transcript (PDF)
About the speakers
Dr Dal Hothi is a paediatric nephrologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital. She's also a Director of Leadership Development at the Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management, as well as being an Officer for Lifelong Careers at the RCPCH.
Dr Jess Morgan is a paediatric doctor and Dinwoodie RCPCH Fellow who leads on the RCPCH Thrive Paediatrics Project along with Dal.
About the patient safety podcast series
As doctors we ‘first, do no harm’. However, the systems in which we work are rife with safety issues and resultant harm. In thinking about how to improve this, we have brought together leaders in the field to discuss challenging and thought-provoking issues around keeping our children safe in healthcare settings.
We hope you will be entertained, educated, and energised to make strides in improving the safety of the children that you care for.
To learn more, visit the RCPCH Patient Safety Portal and begin your journey in improving your own psychological safety and that of those you work with.
Links for topics/organisations/papers referenced in this episode
- Dinwoodie
- Thrive Paediatrics at RCPCH
- Amy Edmondson and psychological safety
- Tim Clark’s four stage model of psychological safety
- Freedom to Speak Up (The National Guardian)
- Charles Vincent ("Safety is not defined by the absence of negative outcomes") - The Health Foundation: The measurement and monitoring of safety
Healthcare is inherently risky and so as child health professionals we need to make patient safety a priority in all our actions. We need to think about safety all the time.
In episode 1 of our series on paediatric patient safety, we speak with Dr Peter Lachman, who develops and delivers programmes for clinical leaders in quality improvement at the Royal College of Physicians in Dublin.
As Peter explains on the podcast, we healthcare professionals need to know patient safety theory - but, more importantly, we need to know how to apply it, drive improvement and create a workplace culture that fosters safe working practices.
Everyone - from the most junior member of the team to the most senior paediatric clinical leader - needs to think about patient safety all day every day. A safe culture takes time to build. Shared activities such as handover, huddles and debrief can model good behaviour and benefit performance. Repeating behaviours that represent a safe culture can create a virtuous cycle which can change deeply held attitudes and beliefs, then ultimately the safe culture overall.
Thank you for listening.
Dr Natalie Wyatt, RCPCH Clinical Fellow and Jonathan Bamber RCPCH Head of Quality Improvement
Produced by 18Sixty
Please be advised that this series contains stories relating to child death and harm. All views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast series belong to the guests and not necessarily to their employer, linked organisations or RCPCH.
Download transcript (PDF)
About the Patient safety podcast series
As doctors we ‘first, do no harm’. However, the systems in which we work are rife with safety issues and resultant harm. In thinking about how to improve this, we have brought together leaders in the field to discuss challenging and thought-provoking issues around keeping our children safe in healthcare settings. We hope you will be entertained, educated, and energised to make strides in improving the safety of the children that you care for.
There are lots of resources that expand on this on the RCPCH Patient Safety Portal, including the theory of patient safety culture and examples of how people across the UK are doing this well. Visit at https://safety.rcpch.ac.uk.
More about Dr Peter Lachman
Dr Peter Lachman develops and delivers programmes to develop clinical leaders in quality improvement at the Royal College of Physicians in Dublin. He works with HSE Global in Africa, and he was Chief Executive Officer of the International Society for Quality in Healthcare (ISQua) from 1 May 2016 to 30 April 2021. Peter was a Health Foundation Quality Improvement Fellow at IHI in 2005-2006 and then went on to be the Deputy Medical Director with the lead for Patient Safety at Great Ormond Street Hospital 2006-2016. Peter was also a Consultant Paediatrician at the Royal Free Hospital in London specialising in the challenge of long-term conditions for children.
Peter is the lead editor of the OUP Handbook on Patient Safety published in April 2022; Co-Editor of the OUP Handbook on Medical Leadership and Management published in December 2022; and Editor of the OUP Handbook on Quality Improvement to be published in 2024.
Topics/organisations/papers referenced in this podcast
- ISQUA (International Society for Quality in Healthcare)
- Oxford Professional Practice: Handbook Of Patient Safety
- IHI (Institute for Health Improvement)
- Human factors - on RCPCH Patient Safety Portal
- S.A.F.E. Collaborative - on RCPCH Patient Safety Portal
- Cincinnati Childrens Hospital patient safety
- Paediatric Early Warning System (NHS England)
- BMJ Quality & Safety journal
- Lachman, P., Linkson, L., Evans, T., Clausen, H., & Hothi, D. (2015). Developing person-centred analysis of harm in a paediatric hospital: a quality improvement report. BMJ quality & safety, 24(5), 337–344
- Health Foundation
- A framework for measuring quality, with Professor Charles Vincent et al
- WellChild: the national charity for sick children
- Applied human factors - on RCPCH Patient Safety Portal
- 5 whys
- SEIPS (Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety)
- Psychological safety- on RCPCH Patient Safety Portal
- Situational awareness - on RCPCH Patient Safety Portal
- MaPSaF (Manchester Patient Safety Awareness Framework)
- Top Gun
- Irish Certificate in Essential Leadership for New Consultants
- Rolfe et al's reflective model (PDF) (what now what so what)
- NHS England: Improving patient safety - a practical guide
Richard Burley, Executive Director of Digital talks with Professor Shah about how digital technology can support child health, and how paediatricians can embrace it - with a dose of healthy scepticism.
Professor Sam Shah is Chief Medical Strategy Officer at men's health company, Numan, and Honorary Lecturer at University College London's Global Business School for Health. He spoke at RCPCH Conference 2023 with a session titled, 'Could healthcare technology address the challenges in child health? Richard Burley here at the College was fortunate to be in the audience and invited Sam to discuss further.
As Sam notes on the podcast, there is no shortage of technology from mobile apps to wearables. But, he says there's a challenge, especially as we look to reduce anxieties:
"...how we try and make the environment of child health - really, the treatment end - more accessible to children, young people and their families. And also less imposing, less scary. Especially that moment when families will be scared about accessing treatment, when children will be in unfamiliar environments."
Sam and Richard talk about examples where digital technologies, particularly augmented and virtual reality, are making a real difference. They consider the unique experiences of children and young people as patients, and the differing needs of communities around language, culture and digital maturity. They step into the thorny issues on privacy, security and safety - and how digital tech intersects with real-life clinical care.
Sam finishes with practical advice on how paediatricians can identify, evaluate and use digital technology in their practice.
Download transcript
Climate change poses an existential risk to child health and is exacerbating health inequalities. But, paediatricians can play an important role in sharing information and advocating for action.
Dr Helen Stewart and Dr Alex Lemaigre introduce the College’s new toolkit for paediatricians. Our first tool helps you understand how climate change impacts on children and young people’s health and exacerbates health inequalities. And our second equips you to influence climate change policy locally, regionally and nationally.
Alex and Helen talk about why paediatricians have a role in addressing health inequalities impacted by climate change. And they provide advice on how to start conversations with key decision makers to address this.
"With climate change affecting food production globally plus the energy crisis and everything else, those households who have more limited income are going to really struggle to maintain the same level of food quality and/or quantity. And that brings all of its own health problems – be that malnutrition, obesity... Familiarise yourself with things locally - you know, if there are food banks or third sector kind of organisations that might be able to help support a household with getting food on the table." - Dr Alex Lemaigre
In this episode, Alex and Helen refer to a condition called eco-anxiety. We now use a preferred term, eco distress.
Download full transcript (PDF)
See our toolkit and take action at www.rcpch.ac.uk/ShiftTheDialOnClimateChange
You can listen to other RCPCPH Podcasts episodes on this topic:
- Child health inequalities part 1 - Talking with families
- Child health inequalities part 2 - interviews with two quality improvement projects
- Our voices: young people and climate change
Talking about the intentionality behind what the College does to train and support paediatricians: RCPCH Vice President for Training and Assessment, Dr Cathryn Chadwick interviews Trainees Committee Chair, Dr Emma Dyer.
Our College Strategy 2021-24 outlines four strategic aims to support our mission of improving health outcomes for children and young people. In this series we look at our College Strategy in action. Hearing stories from clinicians, children and young people and staff about the impact our work has made on the community and within paediatric clinical practice.
In this episode we learn about what it takes to build a paediatrician. The intentional decisions that have been made to train members and set them up for a long and rewarding career. The new Progress+ curriculum and our Thrive Paediatrics initiative and learning hubs are some of the examples of the work being done to support trainees at each level of their career.
Two paediatricians share thoughts around vulnerability, compassion and belonging at work. Jess and Anna talk about brave spaces, the importance (and limits) of self-care and those "small moments of human connection".
Dr Jess Morgan is a paediatrician and working as a Dinwoodie RCPCH Fellow on an exciting new project, Thrive Paediatrics, which aims to create meaningful change in the working lives of paediatricians. She speaks with Dr Anna Baverstock, a consultant paediatrician at Somerset NHS Foundation Trust.
Find out more about Thrive Paediatrics on the RCPCH website. We're creating Wellbeing and Innovation Networks (WINs), communities where paediatricians come together and, using our newly published roadmap, draw from each other’s experiences to activate change.
We’re organising some Thrive 'listening events', so look out for those soon. And if you're a College member and interested in this project, email us at thrive@rcpch.ac.uk.
Download the transcript (PDF)
Links to people mentioned in the podcast
Amy Edmondson
Mary Freer (Welcome to Freer Thinking
Brené Brown
In a first for our podcasts, we delve into the world of government and parliament. RCPCH President Camilla Kingdon speaks with Dame Andrea Leadsom MP, Conservative Member of Parliament for South Northamptonshire about her experiences of advocating for infant and child health.
Dame Andrea wants every baby to have the best start in life - a message shared by the College. She chaired the Government's Early Years Healthy Development Review and its March 2021 report, The best start for life, a vision for the 1001 critical days, outlines areas for action to improve the health outcomes of all babies in England, including new Family Hubs.
She now chairs the Start for Life Unit, a team of civil servants tasked with implementing the review's recommendations.
Dame Andrea talks with Camilla about her experiences of championing infant and child health in Parliament, and why she's so passionate and focused on this early period of life. Camilla asks how paediatricians can use their voice to support policy change, particularly where there are competing priorities, and how to consider poverty's impact on child health outcomes.
Ensuring decision-makers introduce the best public policy for children and young people is an important part of our work at RCPCH. We engage regularly with Ministers, senior civil servants, MPs, Lords and advisers on a wide range of matters. On some occasions, like this one, that will mean engaging with individuals from specific political parties. However, we never endorse political parties or movements, and work with representatives of all parties equally and that remains the case with this podcast.
We are grateful to Dame Andrea for sharing her views as someone with a central role in government policymaking on early years. Do keep an eye out on our podcasts for future conversations with policymakers from across the political spectrum.
Links from the podcast Family Hubs and Start for Life programme (GOV.UK)
The best start for life: a vision for the 1,001 critical days (GOV.UK)
Rt Hon. Dame Andrea Leadsom website
RCPCH work in public affairs
RCPCH toolkit on child health inequalities
RCPCH position statement on breastfeeding
We hear from two teams doing innovative work to better understand the impact of poverty on children and young people’s health, and design NHS services that provide targeted support for families.
RCPCH Officer for Health Improvement Dr Helen Stewart interviews the two teams.
First, two trainee paediatricians in Belfast, Dr Naomi Kirk and Dr Anne-Marie McLean, tell Helen about their observational study. This looked at the effects of the cost-of-living crisis on the home and social environment and the health of primary school-aged children in Northern Ireland.
- "We really wanted to identify which children and families are most vulnerable to poor health due to financial strain in the hope that we could then raise awareness and offer support."
Next is a team in Birmingham that's put child health care services right in the heart of the community – to better access the families who need support most. Dr Fran Dutton, a General Practitioner, and Dr Caroline Wolhuter. Head of Innovation, Impact and Early Help at GreenSquareAccord, a national housing and care provider, explain how they have introduced health promotion at every opportunity, liaising with multidisciplinary health professionals and local community services.
- "Think about health promotion in whichever department you're in, be that the community or in the hospital. Think about the experience for the family...Do you offer them a solution?... We need to be helping families access the support that is there for them."
Interested in learning more about child health inequalities? Take a look at the College’s toolkit. This includes advice on how to run your own quality improvement project around the topic, as well as speaking with families about poverty and doing advocacy at a local level. You’ll also find more written case studies.
Download full transcript (PDF)
Summary
00:00 Start and introduction from Helen
02:02 Understanding the effecs of the cost-of-living crisis on primary school children in Belfast - interview with Naomi and Anne-Marie
16:24 Putting child health care services in the heart of this Birmingham community - interview with Fran and Caroline
37:31 Concluding remarks and how to learn more about child health inequalities
Contacts for our speakers
Naomi and Anne-Marie's study:
- Naomi's email: nkirk04@qub.ac.uk
- Anne-Marie's email: a.mcclean@qub.ac.uk
Fran and Caroline's project:
- Twitter: @SparkbrookCZ
- Email: nhsbsolicb.sparkbrookchildrenszone@nhs.net
In our second series of College Strategy 2021-24 podcasts we look at the Strategy in action. Hearing stories from clinicians, children and young people and staff about the impact our work has made on the community and within paediatric clinical practice.
The National Diabetes Quality Programme (NDQP) was established in collaboration with the National Children and Young People’s Diabetes Network in April 2018. In the last five years, the programme has supported quality improvement programmes attended by thousands of clinicians, helped to improve services at several NHS trusts across the UK and performed multiple peer reviews to identify good clinical practice. The impact of this programme has been seen in the number of Trusts whose standards of care have risen as a direct result of the NDQP as well as the number of clinicians whose practice has improved to better deliver for children affected by Diabetes. Read our final report that highlights impact in England and Wales.
Now that the programme has ended, Clinical Lead Dr Fiona Campbell, OBE Chair of the National Children and Young People’s Diabetes Network in England and Wales and Consultant Paediatric Diabetes Leeds Children’s Hospital and members of the project team discussed the achievements and the lasting legacy of the programme on integrated care services (ICS) and Trusts across the UK.
Download full transcript (PDF)
In this first of a podcast series from the Medicines for Children team, we speak with Fiona, a young person with epilepsy, and her mum, Karen. It's an honest and lively discussion from their fear at first diagnosis to working out the right medication, to learning to live well with the condition.
The Medicines for Children team is pleased to share this first episode in a series of podcasts on epilepsy. With thanks to a grant from the Alison Hillman charitable trust, the podcasts will aim to improve the resources available for young people with epilepsy.
We publish this episode just before Purple Day this Sunday, 26 March, an annual international event dedicated to increasing awareness of epilepsy.
Evalyn Usher, a medical student who interned with the Medicines for Children team in summers 2021 and 2022, interviewed Fiona and Karen. Fiona was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 11 years old. Her seizures have no obvious trigger and she's tried different anti-epileptic drugs to manage these, and help her live a full and sociable life. Her mum, Karen was at first worried about the misconceptions and stigma around epilepsy, the 'terrifying seizures' and how the condition would affect her daughter's future. But now she's learned more and what to do.
It's a fascinating discussion, and we hope it's both reassuring and inspiring to families.
Download transcript
More about the podcast
Fiona was diagnosed with epilepsy at around 11 years of age, which is much later than for some children, and her seizures have no obvious trigger – Fiona doesn’t know when she is going to have one. Fiona has tried five or six different anti-epileptic drugs and is currently taking two. Whilst these have not stopped her seizures altogether, they have reduced the frequency. Nevertheless, it is clear from the podcast that Fiona lives a full and sociable life.
As an “older mum”, Karen was initially worried about the misconceptions and stigma that used to surround epilepsy and how the diagnosis might affect Fiona’s future. She is frank about how difficult she found the diagnosis and the period when Fiona had frequent seizures and they were trying different medicines. While she described early seizures as “terrifying”, and the fear of not knowing when one might happen, she has learnt to cope, and is now more matter of fact because she knows what is happening and what to do.
Fiona’s strategy has always been to be open about her epilepsy. In primary year 7 she did a presentation to her class explaining different types of epilepsy and what to do if someone has a seizure. Fiona is now active in the RCPCH Epilepsy12 Youth Advocates and is keen to increase awareness of epilepsy among children and young people, and to develop suitable information leaflets, as existing information is mostly for young children and adults. Fiona also wants to raise awareness of epilepsy in schools, as well as the mental health issues that young people living with epilepsy may face; she talks about the valuable support she received from a clinical psychologist.
Fiona and her mum talk about practical measures they take: Fiona’s friends know she has epilepsy, and what to do if she has a seizure. Fiona always has her mobile phone with her and a medical alert bracelet with her Dad’s phone number. She also has an Epilepsy Seizure Plan that she can share with school and college for example.
Karen’s advice to parents of a child with epilepsy is to be open about the condition. She emphasizes the value of talking to friends, family and health professionals for support and to develop coping mechanisms. Fiona finds talking with other people who live with epilepsy very useful and supportive – and she counsels against scary stories on the internet!
We hope this podcast will be useful and reassuring to families living with epilepsy or who are adjusting to a new diagnosis. Fiona and Karen are honest about how they have learnt to live with the condition, which we hope will inspire other families.
This podcast is created by young volunteers with RCPCH &Us and is all about climate change, with some international guests from Ghana and others closer to home from the RCPCH Climate Change Working Group and RCPCH members.
Listen to find out how doctors and young people can work together to make sure that we face the climate change crisis head on.
This is a special edition collaboration with the RCPCH Climate Changers group: Aisling, Ali, Ally, Beth, Demi, Ethan, Kirsten, Jeanette and Noor.
Download transcript
In this episode we interviewed:
Members of the Ghana Youth Environmental Movement
- Perk
- Gloria
- Anokyewaa
RCPCH Climate Change Working Group members
- Dr Katy from Leeds
- Dr Shunmay from London
RCPCH Conference attendees
- Dr Emily, Dr Ella, Dr Chrysoula, Dr Ella, Dr Ian, Dr Carol, Dr Lucy, Dr Anastasia
Who are we?
RCPCH &Us are a network of children and young people from all over the country (UK) who volunteer together to help improve health, awareness and information/education around what matters to children and young people. We have lots of different projects which bring together young volunteers to make a difference on topics like epilepsy, asthma, mental health and more.
The podcasters are young people from RCPCH &Us who have a passion for engagement and volunteering in child health. They will be creating different podcasts over the year on topics that matter to children and young people. We have been learning how to create a podcast, creating and reviewing content, editing and getting it ready to launch.
Wondering why you keep hearing a moo?
In the summer of 2022, young people were helping out with interviews for staff at RCPCH and in the break time, learnt to moo. Another young person remixed it and that's why we have a moo as a jingle! It means a lot to us and we hope you enjoy it too!
Links mentioned in the episode
- RCPCH &Us
- Our Voices:Engagement Done Well
- RCPCH &Us Climate Changers
- RCPCH Conference
- Ghana Youth Environmental Movement
- Milestones "Heal our patients and our planet" page 11
- RCPCH Climate Change Working Group
- RCPCH Climate Change programme
- LSHTM Children, Cities and Climate
- Good Climate Stories (Twitter)
- Caesar Cipher Code
Thank you for joining us for the second RCPCH &Us podcast and to everyone who took part. If you want to get in touch to find out more about the RCPCH &Us projects including the Podcasters or the Climate Changers, email and_us@rcpch.ac.uk.
Mental health can be a challenging and sensitive topic. In this podcast, five child health professionals talk about how they are are tackling the issue through advocacy and innovation.
The spring edition of the College’s member magazine Milestones has a special focus on supporting children and young people’s mental health. To mark this, Milestones Editor and Mental Health Lead Dr James Dearden speaks to a number of its contributors. With a wealth of experience between them, they discuss the increase in mental health issues in young people and the role of paediatricians in supporting them.
It's really clear that that we need to involve ourselves in mental health. It's really clear that that's what young people are asking of us... We expect it these days of teachers, GPs, social workers, so we should absolutely expect it of ourselves.
Karen Street, consultant paediatrician and RCPCH Officer for Mental Health
Download transcript
RCPCH resources for members on supporting child health mental health
We know that children living in poverty are more likely to experience poorer health outcomes, and paediatricians are in a unique and crucial position to advocate for lifelong change in their patients.
Dr Helen Stewart, a consultant in paediatric emergency medicine and the College's Officer for Health Improvement, speaks with Dr Ian Sinha, consultant respiratory paediatrician and Dr Alice Lee, paediatric trainee and clinical innovation research fellow, both at at Alder Hey Children's Hopspital.
Ian and Alice are two of the authors of the RCPCH health inequalities toolkit published in autumn. They talk about why paediatricians have a role in addressing health inequalities and provide advice on how open up conversations with families.
Download transcript of this episode
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This podcast is all about working with children and young people to help improve their health and the health of others. Have a listen for ideas, examples and information on engagement from RCPCH doctors and young people from RCPCH &Us - we hope you enjoy it!
The podcasters are: Ali, Demi, Emma, Joseph, Leo, Lowenna, Oscar, Shashank, Shreya and Timooothy. We also had help from other RCPCH &Us volunteers Aisling, Sohan and Clare. Plus John and Jamie who brought Timooothy to life!
In this episode we interviewed: Dr Shouja from Wales, Kath from Barts Health, Louca-Mai a researcher from University of Hertfordshire and Ally from the Luna Project.
Download transcript
RCPCH &Us are a network of children and young people from all over the country (UK) who volunteer together to help improve health, awareness and information/education around what matters to children and young people. We have lots of different projects which bring together young volunteers to make a difference on topics like epilepsy, asthma, mental health and more. The podcasters are young people from RCPCH &Us who have a passion for engagement and volunteering in child health. They will be creating different podcasts over the year on topics that matter to children and young people. We have been learning how to create a podcast, creating and reviewing content, editing and getting it ready to launch.
Wondering why you keep hearing a moo? In the summer of 2022, young people were helping out with interviews for staff at RCPCH and in the break time, learnt to moo. Another young person remixed it and that's why we have a moo as a jingle! It means a lot to us and we hope you enjoy it too!
Links mentioned in the podcast:
- RCPCH &Us, plus the latest issue of Milestones &Us (winter 2022)
- Renal transplant support for young people
- GPs in youth centres (PDF)
- Association for Young People’s Health (AYPH)
- Embedding youth participation in health - Bristol University
- About children’s rights
- NHS England Youth Forum
- National Children's Bureau - Listening to young voices
- Luna Project
- Advice and guidance on engaging children and young people in your health service on QI Central
Thank you for joining us for our first RCPCH &Us podcast and to everyone who took part.
We hope that by sharing our voices and empowering examples of engagement, you are inspired to be creative and get involved. Engagement is the way we can make this happen, please ask what children and young people think, listen to our voices and together we can create outstanding child health services.
Get in touch with RCPCH &Us and_us@rcpch.ac.uk
The conversation continues between Professor Paul Dimitri, our Vice President for Science & Research, and Emily Arkell, Director of Research & Policy, as they dive into one of our aims of the College strategy 2021-24.
In the first part, Paul outlined the state of child health research in the UK. Now he looks at what we can do about it - from recognising the need to focus on children to capitalising on new technologies that can revolutionise patient care. He discusses what the College is doing, including our national clinical audits, the quality improvement resource, QI Central, partnership in the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit and range of fellowships and awards. And he gives an insight into how he started in research, and how you might, too!
Our 2023 research awards are open for applications until 19 December - take a look and apply!
We consider the importance of research to clinical practice in child health. This is the first of a two-part conversation between Professor Paul Dimitri, our Vice President for Science & Research, and Emily Arkell, Director of Research & Policy - and the fourth of our 'in conversation' series on the College strategy 2021-24.
One of our aims is to harness knowledge, data and intelligence to improve the quality of care in paediatrics, and we do this through a range of quality improvement programmes and support of child health research. Almost a quarter of England's population is under 20 years of age, but they consume just 11% of the NHS budget. Just 5% of health research in the UK over a recent five-year period was on children and young people, and there are fewer clinical academic paediatricians than 10 years ago. So how can we encourage investment in child health research?
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Look out for part 2 soon!
How can we build resilience and promote self-care at work? And what can we do at a Trust and wider level?
We speak with two consultant paediatricians:
First up is Dr Seb Gray, a consultant paediatrician in Salisbury, who wears many hats when it comes to promoting joy at work. Seb is on the editorial team of membership magazine, Milestones where he introduced a regular feature on wellbeing. He also led a subgroup of our Paediatrics 2040 programme, which produced a report full of practical ideas on supporting wellbeing (PDF).
Next, Dr Dal Hothi, our Officer for Lifelong Careers, shares her four-part framework on wellbeing, which includes how we can build resilience and promote work-life balance and self-care. She’s looking at how we can build a Wellbeing and Innovation, or WIN, community – cultivating a sense of connection and standing up for paediatricians.
Explore more resources on our website: Your wellbeing and Lifelong careers.
Keep up to date by following us on Twitter @RCPCHtweets, or finding us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.
Download full transcript
How can we build resilience and promote self-care at work? And what can we do at a Trust and wider level?
We speak with two consultant paediatricians:
First up is Dr Seb Gray, a consultant paediatrician in Salisbury, who wears many hats when it comes to promoting joy at work. Seb is on the editorial team of membership magazine, Milestones where he introduced a regular feature on wellbeing. He also led a subgroup of our Paediatrics 2040 programme, which produced a report full of practical ideas on supporting wellbeing (PDF).
Next, Dr Dal Hothi, our Officer for Lifelong Careers, shares her four-part framework on wellbeing, which includes how we can build resilience and promote work-life balance and self-care. She’s looking at how we can build a Wellbeing and Innovation, or WIN, community – cultivating a sense of connection and standing up for paediatricians.
Explore more resources on our website: Your wellbeing and Lifelong careers.
Keep up to date by following us on Twitter @RCPCHtweets, or finding us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.
Download full transcript
Our mission to improve child health doesn't end at our borders. The RCPCH Global programme partners with paediatric societies, global aid organisations and local agencies to train, advise and offer medical support.
In our third episode of our 'in conversation' series on the College Strategy , our Head of Global Sebastian Taylor speaks with Dr Sue Broster, Officer for Global Child Health and a consultant neonatologist about the important role the College plays in improving global child health.
Sue tells us, "I think we're really seeing our membership start to say, is there something that we should be doing more loudly, more vociferously in a really constructive way, through advocacy for a range of issues in the global health arena as much as we're doing it in a number of other areas like child protection, safeguarding, etc."
Downlaod transcript
Our mission to improve child health doesn't end at our borders. The RCPCH Global programme partners with paediatric societies, global aid organisations and local agencies to train, advise and offer medical support.
In our third episode of our 'in conversation' series on the College Strategy , our Head of Global Sebastian Taylor speaks with Dr Sue Broster, Officer for Global Child Health and a consultant neonatologist about the important role the College plays in improving global child health.
Sue tells us, "I think we're really seeing our membership start to say, is there something that we should be doing more loudly, more vociferously in a really constructive way, through advocacy for a range of issues in the global health arena as much as we're doing it in a number of other areas like child protection, safeguarding, etc."
Downlaod transcript
Your wellbeing - as busy health professionals - matters. At our annual conference in Liverpool this past June, we spoke with several members making a huge impact in their own hospitals and Trusts.
This is the first of two episodes on wellbeing, and here we explore how to really understand the needs of the people you work with.
First we hear with Dr Ash Patel at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital on how sharing baked treats can be one way to build a culture of wellbeing. That's led to his popular baking columns in our membership magazine, Milestones, and the 'Great Paediatric Bake Off' series.
And then Dr Susie Minson and Dr Benita Morrissey, both from the Royal London Hospital, explain how they've worked to create enduring resilience and happiness at work, bringing along the whole multidisciplinary team.
Your wellbeing - as busy health professionals - matters. At our annual conference in Liverpool this past June, we spoke with several members making a huge impact in their own hospitals and Trusts.
This is the first of two episodes on wellbeing, and here we explore how to really understand the needs of the people you work with.
First we hear with Dr Ash Patel at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital on how sharing baked treats can be one way to build a culture of wellbeing. That's led to his popular baking columns in our membership magazine, Milestones, and the 'Great Paediatric Bake Off' series.
And then Dr Susie Minson and Dr Benita Morrissey, both from the Royal London Hospital, explain how they've worked to create enduring resilience and happiness at work, bringing along the whole multidisciplinary team.
The education and training of paediatricians is core to the College, and we dedicate one of our strategic aims to this theme, including lifelong learning, mentorship and choosing specialties.
In our second episode of our 'in conversation' series on the College Strategy , Dr Jonathan Darling, RCPCH Vice President of Education and Training, shares his thoughts on the changes in paediatric training and how the College is responding, whether it's a new online learning platform, updates to our ePortfolio, the launch of Progress+ next summer and record attendance at this summer's Conference.
Download full transcript
The education and training of paediatricians is core to the College, and we dedicate one of our strategic aims to this theme, including lifelong learning, mentorship and choosing specialties.
In our second episode of our 'in conversation' series on the College Strategy , Dr Jonathan Darling, RCPCH Vice President of Education and Training, shares his thoughts on the changes in paediatric training and how the College is responding, whether it's a new online learning platform, updates to our ePortfolio, the launch of Progress+ next summer and record attendance at this summer's Conference.
Download full transcript
From the joy of finding people with a common purpose to the recognition that there's still a long way to go... College members Segn Nedd, Nadia Audhali and Mike Farquhar share their experiences and insights as part of our EDI member reference group.
Find out more and get the transcript
This is the first of our “In conversation…” series on the College Strategy 2021-24. Dr Mike McKean, our VP for Health Policy speaks with Robert Okunnu, Director for Membership, Policy & External Affairs on the College’s health policy priorities, and how paediatricians can be advocates for children and young people.
Mike tells us, "What could I do to help influence a better system? I would say it starts actually in your day job. The first step, I think, is to step back and think more broadly about the children and families that are coming in front of you." Mike McKean
Find out more and download the transcript
RCPCH President Dr Camilla Kingdon speaks with Professor Simon Kenny about his role at NHS England. They discuss how to keep hold of core priorities in a changing world, the rapid and partnership response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the value of truly listening to children and young people. Sometimes you need to stand back and give appropriate time to the big issues, Simon tells us. And having a really good team allows this to happen.
See full transcript from our website
Daniel is a young person diagnosed with transverse myelitis, an autoimmune disease. After several months in hospital, he moved from only using liquid medications to taking tablet forms. Daniel talks with Emma Lim about how he was taught to swallow pills, and gies his top tips on how you too can accomplish this. This podcast is produced in partnership with KidzMed, a programme set up at the Great North Children's Hospital in Newcastle, and by Medisense.
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Nicola Vasey, lead pharmacist at the Great North Children’s Hospital, discusses the role of pharmacists in pill swallowing. The cost saving outcomes were viewed as one positive effect of the project and changing university and student curriculums to involve pill swallowing was proposed as the next best step for ensuring training in pill swallowing continues.
This podcast is produced in partnership with KidzMed, a programme set up at the Great North Children's Hospital in Newcastle, and by Medisense.
Download transcript
Dr Yincent Tse, a children’s kidney doctor with an interest in quality improvement, talks to Dr Emma Lim about the benefits of pill swallowing in relation to financial cost comparisons between liquid and pill medicines and the benefits/simplicity for everyone involved when patients are able to take pills.
This podcast is produced in partnership with KidzMed, a programme set up at the Great North Children's Hospital in Newcastle, and by Medisense.
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Sister Ailsa Pickering, a specialist nurse working with infectious diseases in paediatrics, and Dr Emma Lim, consultant paediatrician at the Great North Children’s Hospital, discuss the practical side of learning to swallow tablets early on in life and how achieving this skill allows the patient some control over their health. Ailsa describes the steps in teaching a patient how to swallow pills and provides three top tips for success.
This podcast is produced in partnership with KidzMed, a programme set up at the Great North Children's Hospital in Newcastle, and by Medisense.
Download transcript
We speak to the Sandwell and West Birmingham Team about their QI project aimed at improving time in range. Contributors: * Dr Chizo Agwu (Consultant Paediatrician – Clinical Lead) * Charlotte Avann (Consultant Paediatrician) * Lizbeth Hudson (Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse)
Hosts:
- Matt Oultram – RCPCH Quality Improvement Project Manager - CYP Diabetes QI Collaborative
- Karina Green – RCPCH Audit Project Co-ordinator - NPDA
Our CEO Jo Revill spoke with Fiona Fox at the SMC, an independent press office helping to ensure the public has access to the best scientific evidence and expertise through the news media.
Fiona offers a fascinating look at how the charity has worked - since January 2020 - throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Find out more and download transcript
We speak to Liz Baker (Consultant Paediatrician) and Jo Ellis (Paediatric Diabetes Specialist Nurse) from York Teaching Hospitals about their QI project aimed at improving the clinic experience for patients. We also talk about their experience of taking part in the QI Collaborative.
Contributors:
Dr Liz Baker
Jo Ellis
Hosts:
Matt Oultram - Quality Improvement Project Manager - CYP Diabetes QI Collaborative. RCPCH
Jessica Ellis - Head of the Diabetes Quality Team. RCPCH
Our Treasurer Liz Marder reflects on COP26 with Dr Richard Smith from the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change, discussing what it means for child health, and what needs to come next in terms of global climate action. We also hear from RCPCH President Camilla Kingdon and consultant paediatrician Dr Bernadette O’Hare about the new RCPCH position statement on the impact of climate change on global child health, including tips on what paediatricians can do to support this important issue which is already affecting almost all children around the world. See more and download transcript
In this episode, our Chief Executive, Jo Revill speaks with RCPCH President, Camilla Kingdon about COVID-19 vaccination in children and young people, a complex issue with much public focus. They discuss the need for transparent information, how consent works and what the College is doing to represent the insights of both paediatricians and young people.
Find out more and download the full transcript
We commonly hear from tier 1 doctors who are worried about stepping up. This tool will help you to gain experience, gather specific, constructive feedback about your work and evidence, when you are ready to progress.
The ECAT presents you with an opportunity to get feedback on your tier 2 readiness. The feedback should enable you to reflect and focus your development towards the next level of responsibility.
In August 2020, Dr Emma Lim and Professor Mark Peters linked up again to reflect on their experiences of the coronavirus pandemic on paediatric hospital admissions and how sepsis in viruses, like COVID-19, doesn’t look any different. Sepsis is sepsis.
They discuss the care needed when dealing with patients presenting with both COVID-19 and sepsis, always ensuring staff safety.
Our President, Camilla Kingdon, and Chief Executive, Jo Revill, met to discuss the new strategy for the College, covering 2021 to 2024, which is published later this month. They spoke about why we need a strategy and who was involved in its creation. They also reflected on our four themes and our overall mission to support paediatricians and improve child health.
Find out more and download the full transcript
In August 2020 Professor Mark Peters, Consultant at GOSH and Researcher at the Institute of Child Health, joined Dr Emma Lim to discuss the first ever sepsis guidelines for children and young people.
We speak to Jo Kitchen and Amanda Grayson, Patient Advocates at the Calderdale and Huddersfield Trust, about their unique role in supporting young people with diabetes, and their Quality Improvement project on transition.
Contributors:
Jo Kitchen
Amanda Grayson
Patient advocates, Diabetes Team, Calderdale and Huddersfield Trust
Hosts:
Andrea Srur - Programme Manager, Diabetes QI team, RCPCH
Matt Oultram - Quality Improvement Project Manager, CYP Diabetes QI Collaborative, RCPCH
Ahead of RCPCH Conference 2021, Dr Mathew Mathai, Consultant Paediatrician, and Dr Helen Jepps, Consultant Paediatrician and Clinical Director for Paediatrics at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, reflect on the impact of COVID-19 and discuss the role of paediatrics during a 'tipping point' in child health.
Join Mat and Helen for the breakout session on social determinants of children and young people's health on Wednesday, 16 June. See full programme and details on how to book your place (registration deadline is Monday, 14 June, 12:00 noon) at https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/news-events/events/rcpch-conference-online-2021.
00:00 Introduction
00:21 Mat and Helen's conversation
We speak with the team at Warrington and Halton NHS Trust on how they have developed their transition service through applying quality improvement (QI) methods, engaging with children and young people and gaining feedback from parents and carers.
Thank you to the following contributors at Warrington and Halton NHS for taking part in this recording:
- Dr Satish Hulikere – Clinical Lead
- Dr Neethi Ram – Paediatric registrar (with endocrine interest)
- Claire – Specialist Nurse for Transition
- Jack – Young person involved in improving the transition service
If you would like to view text captions for this episode, please visit the College's YouTube channel and enable Closed Captions (CC).
Quality improvement encapsulates all aspects of patient care – not just the clinical experience but service development, review and evaluation. In this roundtable podcast led by two RCPCH QI Trainee Representatives, the QI Central Project Board discuss their own improvement journeys and what quality improvement means to them.
Back in September we began the call for nominations for our next Registrar, who will take the reins from Dr Mike Linney as we move through a very challenging time.
The Registrar is a Senior Officer role and a Trustee, working closely with the President and Vice Presidents. Importantly, they represent the College’s ultimate beneficiaries: children and young people.
Over the last few weeks, our &Us team has been speaking with children and young people to find out the five questions they’d like candidates to answer to help members cast their vote. We're pleased to now share those answers with you.
Candidates:
Will Carroll
Jonathan Darling
Michael McKean
Steve Turner
Questions:
00:00 - Introduction
01:44 - Question 1: How do you think a young person would describe you? (Rachael, age 22, from Wokingham)
04:39 - Question 2: What is the biggest issue for children and young people that you want to work on? (Phoebe, age 21, from Manchester)
08:04 - Question 3: How would you involve children and young people at the College? (Anisah, age 17, from London)
11:43 - Question 4: Give an example of a child or young person who has fundamentally changed your thinking or the way you work? (Jude, age 9, from Lisburn)
15:48 - Question 5: If you were a biscuit, what would you be? (Brecon, age 10, from Tonyrefail)
18:17 - Wrap-up
Find out more and cast your vote before voting closes on Wednesday 9th December: https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/election
If you would like to view text captions for this episode, please visit the College's YouTube channel and enable Closed Captions (CC).
Back in September we began the call for nominations for our next President, who will take the reins from Professor Russell Viner as we move through a very challenging time.
The President serves as the leader of the membership and is the key public face of RCPCH, both nationally and internationally. Importantly, they represent the College’s ultimate beneficiaries: children and young people.
Over the last few weeks, our &Us team has been speaking with children and young people to find out the five questions they’d like candidates to answer to help members cast their vote. We're pleased to now share those answers with you.
Candidates:
Simon Clark
Camilla Kingdon
Jane Valente
David Vickers
Questions:
00:00 - Introduction
01:47 - Question 1: How do you think a young person would describe you? (Rachael, age 22, from Wokingham)
05:24 - Question 2: What is the biggest issue for children and young people that you want to work on? (Phoebe, age 21, from Manchester)
09:12 - Question 3: How would you involve children and young people at the College? (Anisah, age 17, from London)
13:02 - Question 4: Give an example of a child or young person who has fundamentally changed your thinking or the way you work? (Jude, age 9, from Lisburn)
17:05 - Question 5: If you were a biscuit, what would you be? (Brecon, age 10, from Tonyrefail)
20:01 - Wrap-up
Find out more and cast your vote before voting closes on Wednesday 9th December: https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/election
If you would like to view text captions for this episode, please visit the College's YouTube channel and enable Closed Captions (CC).
Dr Bryony Hopkinshaw is a Paediatric Registrar working in London, and today we’re talking about the impacts of NHS charging regulations on undocumented children living in the UK.
In this episode, we discuss the impacts of charging on patients, doctors, and the public, the false dichotomy of "children and adults", and safeguarding implications for children and young people. We also talk about the impact of the pandemic, practical advice for healthcare workers and members of the public, and potential policy changes.
Read our RCPCH Insight feature on this topic: https://medium.com/rcpch-insight/what-are-the-barriers-to-healthcare-for-migrant-children-74ea28aa38d9
Read our guidance on the rights to access healthcare in migrant communities: https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/right-access-healthcare
An interview with David Evans, Vice President for Training and Assessment at RCPCH, led by Lorraine Bullard, Quality & Standards Manager at the College. We talk to David about the Shape of Training programme of work and the College's Paediatrician of the Future document, a vision for the future of paediatric training and part of our submission to the GMC at the end of this year.
Dr Dita Aswani, Dr Carrie Mackenzie and Dr Fiona Campbell talk with Dr Megan Peng and Dr Tricia Woodhead about their team's involvement in the early waves of the QI Collaborative.
Dr Carrie Mackenzie at Sheffield Children’s Hospital reflects on her team’s journey throughout the QI Collaborative programme and offers recommendations to teams wishing to embark on quality improvement projects of their own.
Junior doctor Monica Parker and Emma Lim join forces to provide an overview of the key learnings and take-home messages from the series.
Clinical Senior Lecturer in Paediatric Infectious Diseases, Dr Jethro Herberg, joins Emma Lim and Monica Parker to explore what’s next for sepsis - and what the future of tests and assessment might look like.
Professor of Paediatric Intensive Care Mark Peters and Emma Lim talk about fluids and unpick common fears, examining which fluids to use, when, why and how much and the role and choice of inotropes in paediatric sepsis.
Consultant paediatricians Dr Sachin Mannikar and Dr Emma Lim consider what you can do to save a child’s life when faced with sepsis. They examine what a care bundle looks like, the management choices, the evidence base and the role of simulation training.
Consultant and Associate Lecturer in Paediatric Immunology and Allergy Dr Louise Michaelis joins Emma Lim to discuss penicillin allergy and sepsis. They explore how common penicillin allergy actually is, cross reactivity, alternative choices and de-labelling.
Emma is joined by Monica Parker, Caroline Wild and Karen Horridge in considering the parent experience and sepsis and children with complex care needs.
Part 2 of bugs and drugs considers NICE guidelines, delivering bundles of care, empirical antibiotic choices and antibiotic stewardship.
Andrew Riordan and Lucia Pareja-Cebrian join Emma to consider what sepsis investigations to undertake and why you need to give antibiotics in one hour.
Emma Lim and junior doctor Monica Parker talk about what sepsis actually is, the importance of early diagnosis and why sepsis is so hard to spot in children.