About
Our RCPCH Wales Deputy Officers and Health Board Integration Lead were appointed in September 2023. Their knowledge and expertise has expanded the voice of RCPCH Wales and supports the RCPCH Wales Officer, Dr Nick Wilkinson, to influence and ensure that children and young people are at the centre of policy making in Wales.
Left to right: Dr Nick Wilkinson (RCPCH Officer for Wales), Dr Dana Beasley (Deputy Officer for Wales), Dr Malcolm Gajraj (Deputy Officer for Wales) and Dr Saurabh Patwardhan (Health Board Integration Lead and Deputy Officer)
Officer for Wales - Dr Nick Wilkinson
Dr Nick Wilkinson is a consultant in paediatric rheumatology and persistent pain. Nick specialises in setting up innovative, accessible and responsive regional services for children and young people and he currently leads the paediatric rheumatology service and P3-Cymru services from Cardiff.
As Officer for Wales, Nick serves as the voice of RCPCH Wales, coordinating its work and advocating for the health and wellbeing of children and young people. He sits on a range of Welsh Government taskforces, Public Health Wales groups and stakeholder forums, ensuring that child health remains central to policy development. He also engages regularly with Senedd members, Welsh Government ministers and senior health officials to champion the needs of the paediatric workforce and the children they care for.
Nick has a particular interest in service redesign and data-driven innovation, especially where these can address gaps in care and improve outcomes. He is passionate about tackling the 'Missing Middle' - children and young people who fall between universal and specialist services - and exploring teh critical links between health and education. His broader interests include population health, value-based healthcare and the integration of health services to better support children and their families.
He is also the President of the Welsh Paediatric Society.
Deputy Officer for Wales - Dr Dana Beasley
Dr Dana Beasley is a general paediatrician based in Swansea Bay University Health Board and is the local link for paediatric rheumatology.
In her role as Deputy Officer for Wales, Dana support RCPCH policy on early years including breastfeeding and the first 1,000 days, childhood obesity and importance of nutritional standards, and addressing childhood poverty and health inequalities.
Dana sits on a number of Welsh Government and Public Health Wales groups to champion the role of paediatricians and provide expert advice. This includes the Breastfeeding Programme Board, the Food and Nutritional Standards task and finish group, the Healthy Start Network, PEWS Cymru, Supporting families experiencing food insecurities and the Welsh Paediatric Nursing Records Board.
Deputy Officer for Wales - Dr Malcolm Gajraj
Dr Malcolm Gajraj was a Consultant in PICU in Cardiff for more than 20 years and is currently the Director of Quality Management in the Medical Deanery in Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW), where he continues to drive the high quality and standards of postgraduate training in Wales, for all trainees, including those in Paediatrics.
In his role as Deputy Officer for Wales, Malcolm supports RCPCH to develop and deliver workforce policy. Macolm is also the resident link and is working to enhance the resident voice in Wales.
He is also the Honorary Secretary for the Welsh Paediatric Society.
RCPCH Wales Health Board Integration Lead - Dr Saurabh Patwardhan
Dr Saurabh Patwardhan is consultant paediatrician in Emergency Medicine based in Swansea Bay University Health Board.
In his role as the RCPCH Wales Health Board Integration Lead, Saurabh liaises with clinicians to understand current challenges, so that we can help improve child health both locally and nationally across Wales by working together.
Saurabh's work includes co-producing pathways and sharing good practice across Wales, including resource tools, sources of local and regional data and case studies.