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I was at Westminster to chair our roundtable on the child health workforce on 23 June. I had a spring in my step walking past crowds of tourists and school trips to get into the historic Westminster Hall, past gilded frescos and into the terrace rooms looking out onto the Thames. The College team were joined by colleagues from other medical, nursing and AHP Colleges and professional associations, charities, NHS England, the Department of Health and Social Care and MPs.

Two hours was not enough to do justice to the many facets and complexities to the challenges faced by child health workforce. But four themes emerged, which chime with our new policy briefing on the child health workforce in England.

• We need to invest in the whole child health workforce. Doctors work as a team and are not the only group affected by the cynicism, depersonalisation, emotional exhaustion and low accomplishment which together cause burn out. We need to be better at recruitment and retention across the whole workforce.
• The workforce needs to work differently. Clinicians are best placed to identify inefficiencies in pathways of care. The positive feeling of being empowered to redesign services during the early days of the COVID pandemic were reflected on; similar empowerment to address the challenges in today’s NHS could be an antidote to burn out.
• The challenge is bigger than a medical model. The solution needs to consider children and young people in the context of their home, school and community.
• There are practical challenges that clinicians cannot resolve alone. These include data linkage, funding streams, access to social prescribing and providing parents (especially first-time parents) with information and support for what you and I might consider are “minor illnesses.”

So, what next? This is the start of a new stage in our advocacy. In England, we will invite roundtable attendees to join a new Child Health Workforce Alliance, which RCPCH are supporting the establishment of. We also have confirmation that on 10 July Westminster will debate how the government will raise the healthiest generation ever, which we will be briefing on. In Wales, as leaders of the Welsh Royal Colleges Child Health Collaborative, we have published “Working together to improve child heath in Wales”, to show policymakers how child health expands beyond hospitals and involves multiple professions. Advocacy on the child health workforce is a four nation priority, and we will update on our activity in Scotland and Northern Ireland in due course.

Do you want to be an RCPCH Trustee?

Two of our brilliant member trustees demit shortly so we’re looking for two new members to join our Board of Trustees. I really encourage you to consider nominating yourself. This is such an exciting time, as we continue to deliver the actions of our 2024–27 strategy. You’ll help shape the college’s future direction and make sure we stay true to our mission to improve child health. I know from personal experience that this is a really rewarding role, and you’ll be working with a supportive and passionate team. If you’ve got ideas, energy and a passion for paediatrics and child health, this could be your moment. Applications close 14 July – don’t miss out!

#WDYCD4U – update your CPD diary on your phone

Keep your CPD diary up to date. You can save the RCPCH CPD diary as a smart bookmark directly to your phone’s home screen, so it works just like an app. No more digging through bookmarks or emails. Whether you're between clinics, on the train, or grabbing a coffee, your learning log is right there with you. Here are the instructions on how to update your CPD diary on your phone (PDF).

The new(ish) Safety eBulletin

Patient safety is part of every handover, every decision, and every moment at the bedside. That’s why I’m excited to highlight the RCPCH Safety eBulletin - a completely novel, first-of-its-kind resource for paediatric safety, developed by our Quality Improvement team. Since launching in December 2024, we’ve published with associated spotlight blogs that delve into key safety issues. It’s designed to be clear, concise and relevant – exactly the kind of resource we need on a busy clinical schedule.

The June edition features a blog about the Paediatric Early Warning Systems in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, and England. Colleagues explore their role in recognising and escalating deterioration, and strengthening system-wide learning, through implementation across the UK nations. You’ll also find medication safety updates, safety research, updated guidelines, training offers, and more.

Assessment review

As you may recall, we launched Progress+, our two-level paediatric specialty training programme, almost two years ago. Since then, we’ve begun to review the programme of assessment to ensure it is fair and sustainable. My colleague and Vice President for Training and Assessment, Dr Cathryn Chadwick, has explained the rationale behind the upcoming changes. We’ve also published a page with some more detail and FAQs, which we’ll keep updated.

Our community child health campaign

We launched the third and fourth instalments of our four-nation campaign to strengthen community child health services, with reports focusing on community care in Wales and Northern Ireland (NI). The Wales team launched their report in the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) on 17 June and talked to Ministers, members of the Senedd and party leaders about the value of early intervention and importance of focusing on children’s health. The NI Team launched their report in the Assembly on 26 June bringing together community paediatricians, the Ireland Executive Committee, Health Committee Members of the Legislative Assembly and children and young people to understand the breadth of community paediatrics and commit to implementing our recommendations.

New report: Clean air, healthy childhoods

This week, in partnership with the Clean Air Fund, the College has published a new policy report spotlighting the pioneering work of Clean Air Clinics in London and Liverpool. These specialist services support families affected by poor housing and pollution, embedding environmental health into paediatric care to provide more holistic support for children and families.

This report shows not only the breadth and scale of the challenge facing us as child health professionals and advocates, but also the power of original solutions, true teamwork, and holistic care. None of the principles applied are complex or groundbreaking, but the manner in which the clean air clinics place children and families at the centre of their every decision, and forge links with the communities and actors around them to enact change should inspire all of us to keep innovating, challenging the model, and asking how we can best provide care in times of unprecedented environmental threat and systemic strain. You can read the report on our website.

Welcoming our new Global Officer

With a fantastic career history in our global work, training and exams, I am delighted that Dr Arvind Shah has joined our senior team as Global Officer. Arvind is hitting the ground running and has already had an interview with our team – which you can read here! Of course, this means that we are losing Dr Sue Broster, who has been fantastic in this role and a huge support for our global work. Please join me in thanking Sue and wishing her all the best.

Paediatricians honoured in the King’s Birthday Honours

It’s a great pleasure to see so many of our own members, fellows and honorary fellows and those in the wider child health workforce recognised for their efforts in the Birthday Honours this year, including our very own Officer for Child Protection, Andrew Rowland. These honours are all so richly deserved and it showcases just how tirelessly the entire child health workforce works to protect, treat, and empower children and young people. To find out more see our writeup.

In case you missed it – what do you want to see in the NHS 10 year plan?

As we await the publication of the much-anticipated NHS 10 Year Plan, we’ve been sharing our final reflections on what we want it to include. Our VP for Policy Dr Mike McKean has set out his thinking, and we invite you all to and share thoughts on what you want to see in the 10 year plan to support child health and the workforce that supports them.

Best wishes,

Steve

Engage effectively with children and young people

Join our interactive course on 17 July in London to boost your skills in engaging children and young people. Learn practical tools, explore real-world examples, and gain confidence in planning inclusive engagement. Early booking is advised as there are a limited number of spaces available!

Find out more and book now

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