RCPCH Podcasts
Members and guests chat about a wide range of child health topics - from health inequalities to climate change, from paediatric training to quality improvement.
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Child health and climate change: Nepal
10/16/2024
Child health and climate change: Nepal
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. Resources:
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Child health and climate change: Canada
10/09/2024
Child health and climate change: Canada
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 , 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. Resources:
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Child health and climate change: Uganda
10/02/2024
Child health and climate change: Uganda
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 , 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. Resources:
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Patient safety 5 – The impact of healthcare inequality on patient safety
02/07/2024
Patient safety 5 – The impact of healthcare inequality on patient safety
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. 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 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 . 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
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Patient safety 4 - Involving children, young people and their families in making healthcare safer
01/31/2024
Patient safety 4 - Involving children, young people and their families in making healthcare safer
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. 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 has lots of resources. And our 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
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Patient safety 3 - How do we improve how we learn from harm?
01/24/2024
Patient safety 3 - How do we improve how we learn from harm?
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 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 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
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Patient safety 2 - If we are psychologically safe, children are safer in our care
01/17/2024
Patient safety 2 - If we are psychologically safe, children are safer in our care
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 . 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 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
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Patient safety 1 - How can we build a culture of safety in paediatric healthcare?
01/10/2024
Patient safety 1 - How can we build a culture of safety in paediatric healthcare?
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. 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 . 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 (what now what so what)
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The state of digital child health today - an interview with Professor Sam Shah
11/15/2023
The state of digital child health today - an interview with Professor Sam Shah
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.
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Shift the dial on climate change and health inequalities
10/17/2023
Shift the dial on climate change and health inequalities
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. You can listen to other RCPCPH Podcasts episodes on this topic:
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How to build a paediatrician
08/08/2023
How to build a paediatrician
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 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 and our initiative and learning hubs are some of the examples of the work being done to support trainees at each level of their career.
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Wellbeing as paediatricians - creating environments where we can thrive at work
07/25/2023
Wellbeing as paediatricians - creating environments where we can thrive at work
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 at . 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 . Links to people mentioned in the podcast:
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Conversations with policy makers - with Dame Andrea Leadsom MP
07/19/2023
Conversations with policy makers - with Dame Andrea Leadsom MP
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
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Child health inequalities part 2 - interviews with two quality improvement projects
05/09/2023
Child health inequalities part 2 - interviews with two quality improvement projects
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 . 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. 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: Anne-Marie's email: Fran and Caroline's project: Twitter: Email:
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Stories of impact - on health care, outcomes and the quality of life for children and young people with diabetes
05/02/2023
Stories of impact - on health care, outcomes and the quality of life for children and young people with diabetes
In our second series of 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. . 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.
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A young person’s experience of living with epilepsy
03/24/2023
A young person’s experience of living with epilepsy
In this first of a podcast series from the 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 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. 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 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.
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Our voices: young people and climate change
03/06/2023
Our voices: young people and climate change
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. In this episode we interviewed: Members of the Perk Gloria Anokyewaa members Dr Katy from Leeds Dr Shunmay from London attendees Dr Emily, Dr Ella, Dr Chrysoula, Dr Ella, Dr Ian, Dr Carol, Dr Lucy, Dr Anastasia Who are we? 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 page 11 (Twitter) 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 [email protected].
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Shining a light on children's mental health
03/01/2023
Shining a light on children's mental health
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 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
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Child health inequalities part 1 - Talking with families
12/19/2022
Child health inequalities part 1 - Talking with families
We know that children living in poverty are more likely to experience poorer health outcomes. 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 Hospital. Ian and Alice are two of the authors of the published in autumn 2022. They talk about why paediatricians have a role in addressing health inequalities and provide advice on how to open up conversations with families.
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Our voices: engagement done well
12/10/2022
Our voices: engagement done well
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. 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: , plus the latest issue of 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
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Child health research matters to medicine - part 2 of 2
11/23/2022
Child health research matters to medicine - part 2 of 2
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 . In the first part, Paul outlined the state of 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, , partnership in the and range of fellowships and awards. And he gives an insight into how he started in research, and how you might, too!
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Child health research matters to medicine - part 1 of 2
11/10/2022
Child health research matters to medicine - part 1 of 2
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 . 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 and . 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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Wellbeing for paediatricians part 2 - how members are working with the College
10/12/2022
Wellbeing for paediatricians part 2 - how members are working with the College
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 . 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: and . Keep up to date by following us on Twitter , or finding us on Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram.
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A humanitarian presence - RCPCH Global programmes
10/04/2022
A humanitarian presence - RCPCH Global programmes
Our mission to improve child health doesn't end at our borders. The 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 , 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."
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Wellbeing part 1 - how members are engaging the whole team
09/27/2022
Wellbeing part 1 - how members are engaging the whole 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.
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The changing landscape of a career in paediatrics
09/06/2022
The changing landscape of a career in paediatrics
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 , Dr Jonathan Darling, RCPCH Vice President of Education and Training, shares his thoughts on the changes in and how the College is responding, whether it's a , , the launch of and record attendance at this summer's Conference.
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Voices from the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion member group
08/09/2022
Voices from the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion member group
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.
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Advocating for child health, now and in the future
07/26/2022
Advocating for child health, now and in the future
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
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Interview with Professor Simon Kenny, National Clinical Director - Children and Young People at NHS England
05/04/2022
Interview with Professor Simon Kenny, National Clinical Director - Children and Young People at NHS England
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.
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Pill swallowing in children 4 : Daniel's story
03/17/2022
Pill swallowing in children 4 : Daniel's story
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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