If like me you had a particularly busy time last week, you may not have had a chance to see what was happening in the child health world, so here is a quick update on events from last week that might interest you.
Hopefully this gives you a taste of the wide remit and role of your College, and how it makes a difference for child health and the workforce. If you want to get involved, we have a range of opportunities for you including a new Officer for Mental Health, a Global Officer, and an England Area Officer (London). Do check out the full range of opportunities here – deadline 17 February.
Applications for Specialty Training posts
There were a lot of applications for training posts this year, which were all, I’m told, of a very high quality. This is clearly good for us as a specialty profession, and for our patients. But this meant that there were more than the usual number of disappointed applicants. We have put some resources for trainees and their supervisors on the RCPCH website.
It includes a National Recruitment Office update (they will contact some initially unsuccessful applicants with an offer for an interview, please read the message), more information about this year’s recruitment and what the College is doing on a national level. This situation once again shows the real need for the NHS to take a closer look at workforce planning for doctors and is something we continue advocating for as a College.
I have a strong history of failing on my job applications, including my first consultant job, applications for two college posts and, just last year, reapplying for a role that I held at the time of interview. If you/your trainee have been unsuccessful please don’t give up, the cream invariably comes to the top.
Mental health
A paper recently published in the Lancet reported a 65% increase in admissions to paediatric medical wards in hospitals in England because of a mental health concern between 2012 and 2022. We know that emergency admissions are rising for all diagnoses, but the rise in mental health admissions was six times greater than all other admissions. You can read the College response, or listen to our Mental Health Officer, Karen Street speaking to the BBC here – around 54 minutes in.
It was reassuring to see “improve access to children and young people's (CYP) mental health services” included as one of four priorities announced this week in the 25/26 priorities and operational planning guidance from NHS England (NHSE). The guidance also included a welcome recommendation for ICBs to explicitly reflect the needs of children and young people in their local planning and funding allocations.
RSV vaccine in England
We got the first sight of RSV vaccine uptake in pregnant mothers this week. Uptake usually starts low and gets higher, so the 33% uptake is a strong start – and we’ve welcomed it - but clearly needs to be higher still. As an aside, we are told that nationally PICUs across England have seen a slight reduction in pressures since Christmas, and it is tempting to speculate that part of this might be related to the vaccine.
#WDYCD4Y - What Does Your College Do for You: Our Air Pollution Companion
In my NHS job I see children whose respiratory symptoms are exacerbated by exposure to air pollution. I think everyone has an increasing awareness about the significance of air pollution, but perhaps not everyone has the confidence or knowledge to communicate about it with patients and the public. So I’m excited to see the new simulation videos on RCPCH Learning, and the Air Pollution Companion – this a one stop shop for all child health professionals interested in air pollution. The resource was developed as part of our partnership with the Clean Air Fund, which includes three Clinical Fellows working alongside RCPCH policy experts. You might explore the site as part of your CPD!
Policy and public affairs updates from across the UK
In England
We were in Westminster recently for a parliamentary roundtable discussion on child health services, hosted by Dr Simon Opher MP on behalf of the College. We had a truly productive discussion with MPs, paediatricians, children and young people, stakeholders, and government representatives from DHSC and NHSE. At the heart of discussions was the solutions needed to support recovery of services for children in England - most of which our outlined in our Blueprint for Child Health Services, published last Autumn. Outputs of this event included a consensus statement signed by partners across the child health sector, and a future backbench business debate on child health.
In Wales
We took part in Joint Children & Families & Children in Our Care Cross Party Group Workshop exploring ‘What could a new Children’s Act for Wales look like’. We brought our core strategic recommendations for child health and wellbeing to the ongoing discussion which had started in 2024. We also responded to the Senedd Health and Social Care Committee’s inquiry into the LCM Tobacco and Vapes Bill, highlighting the Bill’s potential benefits to children and young people.
In Northern Ireland
We supported a successfully passed motion in the NI Assembly on 27 January led by the Trussell Trust. This acknowledged the grave increase in child poverty, as demonstrated by the proportion of emergency food parcels provided to children in NI being the highest in the UK and the recent report from the Public Accounts Committee that found that delivery of the Child Poverty Strategy was characterised by failure. The motion recognised that an adequate standard of living is essential for children and called on the Minister for Communities to publish the new anti-poverty strategy. You can see the full text here on the Northern Ireland Assembly website.
In Scotland
The next Scottish election is May ’26 and we responded to a Scottish Labour Party Policy Forum ‘Focus on the Future’ initial manifesto consultation. We advised on a range of issues including: emphasising prevention, shortening waiting times, shifting the focus of health and care services from hospital to towards community-based services, supporting the workforce and more.
Nominations for our major awards are open
We invite members to nominate someone who has made outstanding contributions to the world of paediatrics for our 2026 Honorary Fellowship, James Spence Medal or RCPCH Member’s Award. All three awards are presented at RCPCH Conference. You can find out more about each and submit your nomination on our website. And for any questions, please reach out to our team at awards@rcpch.ac.uk.
Our consultation on safeguarding competencies for health professionals
In partnership with other medical Colleges, we have been updating the intercollegiate documents (ICDs) on safeguarding children and young people and on looked after children, and plan to publish online later this year. We’re now inviting members to review and feedback on the draft in an advisory capacity. To participate, please email the team on intercollegiatedocumentproject@rcpch.ac.uk by this Friday, 7 February – they’ll send you the draft document and an online form.
Another opportunity to shape our website
Have thoughts on the RCPCH website? We want to hear from members about how information can be better organised. We'd love to hear from you. Sign up today and help us improve your online experience.
We’re testing out Bluesky – come follow us
We've heard from members that there is a small but growing paediatric community on Bluesky, so as part of our efforts to ensure we're connecting with members wherever you are, we'll be testing out the platform over the coming months. So if you're on Bluesky, or interested in joining do follow us – and a reminder you can also find us across social media on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Best wishes,
Steve
The very last chance to get up to 15% off early bird tickets for RCPCH Conference 2025
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