A fellow speaker at a recent event said that he was turning 40 soon and would no longer consider himself a young man.
Which got me thinking. From his four-year-old daughter’s view I am sure he is already “old”; in my experience, young children tend to see adults as all being equally ancient. So whilst age is objectively a number which never goes down, age is perhaps also subject to the perception of the individual and those around them. For paediatricians this is relevant on at least two levels.
Firstly, as clinicians we know never to presume that a 15-year-old understands what we are saying, nor that a five-year-old does not understand. Secondly, as a profession we need to be aware that our needs will change as we get less young (I avoid the phrase getting older), but changes will differ between individuals.
One example of this, coming later along the career pathway, is coming off the consultant on call rota – some individuals are desperate to come off by the time they reach their 50th birthday whereas others are content to carry on into the sixth decade.
What our member survey demonstrated last year was that across all categories, from students through to fellows, our members' main priorities were to deliver the best possible care for their patients and at the same time, to avoid stress and burnout. To help deliver the best care, our College has regular eBulletins from the Research and Quality Improvement team and a growing resource of online education opportunities on RCPCH Learning. The College also has resources to support members at all stages of their careers including Choose Paediatrics, Stepping Up, Thrive and Retirement Planning. Go on, have a look.
Celebrating our members and Honorary Fellows
This week we have published information about our 2025 Honorary Fellows, who were recognised and celebrated in Glasgow at the end of March. Honorary Fellowship is awarded to people, many of whom are our members, who are considered by our College to have made a major contribution to paediatrics and child health through research, education, clinical service and leadership. As a community of paediatricians and advocates for children and young people, we are in the debt of our Honorary Fellows. I won’t list them all here but do take time to visit our website and read about their achievements. Citations of previous awardees are also on the website.
It’s a week of double celebrations, as we also recognised the recipients of our Members' Award 2025. These awards are for members who have undertaken exceptional work in support of child health and the College strategy. We are pleased to announce that Professor Bob Phillips and Professor George du Toit are the 2025 winners.
My sincere congratulations to all recipients, and thanks also to those who took time to make the nominations. For those interested the entry page for our 2026 Members' Award are now open, and close on Friday 20 June 2025.
#WDYCD4Y: Embracing neurodiversity and supporting neurodivergent paediatricians
Over the last year a group of paediatricians and RCPCH staff members have collaborated to develop guidance on supporting neurodivergent paediatricians. The aim of this work is to increase awareness and creating a neuro-inclusive culture.
Our guidance includes a suite of easy-to-read documents, including a practical guide - defining what neurodiversity is, how to support those who are neurodivergent and the strengths the neurodivergent workforce can bring - real-life case studies and checklists to help those who will be supporting neurodivergent paediatricians.
Take part in our snapshot workforce survey
RCPCH has been concerned for some time that the national bodies responsible for planning, supporting and investing in the NHS workforce are not adequately focusing in on the child health workforce in long-term planning. The College is preparing for upcoming opportunities to call for change through the anticipated NHS Long Term Workforce Plan refresh and implementation of the NHS 10 Year Plan.
Our snapshot survey to members asks for your recent experiences of working in the NHS to help bolster our calls to government. The anonymous survey should take no more than three minutes of your time. Many thanks for considering!
Devolved nations election updates
Scotland: In advance of the next Scottish Parliament elections in May 2026, the sitting Government brought forward the Programme for Government. Our Policy and Public Affairs Team in Scotland have lobbied Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and political institutions in advance and we are glad to see a range of commitments toward lifting children out of poverty – including expansion of free school meals, breakfast clubs and offsetting the impact of the two-child benefit cap. We’re also glad to see a commitment to focusing on public services and access to primary care. View our response to the Scottish Programme for Government.
Wales: The Party Conference circuit continues in Wales in advance of the Senedd elections, which take place on the same day as the Scottish election. Our RCPCH Wales Policy and Public Affairs Team have been working hard to get RCPCH priorities to the fore of political party's minds right across the political spectrum; continuing with Welsh Labour and teaming up with NHS Confederation in June. Remind yourself of our priorities in Wales: RCPCH Wales 2026 election manifesto.
Northern Ireland: As our members in NI know, elections take place for the Assembly in 2027. Please do keep an eye on your inboxes for a local survey on the issues that matter most to you to inform our manifesto in late 2025.
In case you missed it… Help us call for action on child poverty
As part of our work to influence the upcoming UK Child Poverty Strategy, we need your help to highlight how poverty is impacting the children you treat. Working with the Child Poverty Action Group, the College wants to show the UK Government the reality of how poverty is affecting children’s health and access to healthcare by capturing the views of paediatricians. We’d be very grateful for your thoughts in our short survey (also no more that three minutes of your time).
Steve
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