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.

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 /episode/index/show/rcpch/id/29821078

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 /episode/index/show/rcpch/id/29713273

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 /episode/index/show/rcpch/id/29591098

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 /episode/index/show/rcpch/id/29489868

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) /episode/index/show/rcpch/id/29322608

The state of digital child health today - an interview with Professor Sam Shah 11/15/2023

Shift the dial on climate change and health inequalities 10/17/2023

How to build a paediatrician 08/08/2023

Wellbeing as paediatricians - creating environments where we can thrive at work 07/25/2023

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 /episode/index/show/rcpch/id/27499770

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: /episode/index/show/rcpch/id/26753163

Stories of impact - on health care, outcomes and the quality of life for children and young people with diabetes 05/02/2023

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. /episode/index/show/rcpch/id/26316204

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]. /episode/index/show/rcpch/id/26137818

Shining a light on children's mental health 03/01/2023

Child health inequalities part 1 - Talking with families 12/19/2022

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 /episode/index/show/rcpch/id/25277265