History and archive

News

Our patron HRH Princess Royal shares a message on our 30th anniversary as a Royal College

23 July 2026

The College is honoured to have received the warmest congratulations from Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, as we celebrate our 30th anniversary and a significant milestone in our history.

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Privacy notice - Historical archives

This privacy notice explains how RCPCH processes your personal data when you donate records to the RCPCH historical archives, if your data is included in records we hold in the historical archives, if you are a researcher who accesses the archive or if you make an enquiry relating our history or arc...

History and archive

News

Professor David Harvey: a leader in neonatal medicine and LGBTQ+ rights

17 June 2026

This Pride season, we are reflecting on the legacy of Professor David Harvey, a remarkable paediatrician and College member who contributed greatly to paediatrics and the LGBTQ+ community.

News

Cataloguing the National Reye’s Syndrome Foundation Collection

28 November 2025

This blog tells the story of Reye’s syndrome, a rare but serious illness, and how the National Reye’s Syndrome Foundation’s work contributed to improving awareness and understanding of this disease. By preserving the Foundation’s records in our archive, we document this legacy and show how the advoc...

Document

Subject archives guide - Reye’s Syndrome

Our subject guides on a range of child health topics are for researchers interested in child health and the history of paediatrics. Reye's syndrome is an example of a rare disease which occurs in children.

History and archive

Resource

Annual Impact Review 2024

We are delighted to share our review of 2024 across all operational areas, including the devolved nations and internationally. Hear what our senior leaders have to say, view our year in numbers or read about how our work in advocacy and engagement is helping shape the future of paediatric care.

Digital health

Engaging children and young people

News

A brief history of vaccines

24 April 2025

Globally, immunisation has saved six lives every minute since 1974, a total of over 154 million, including 101 million under-5s. It is thought that vaccines are responsible for a 40% reduction in childhood mortality. As World Immunisation Week begins, we are looking back on the history of vaccines a...

News

Celebrating pioneer paediatrician Beryl Corner on International Women's Day

8 March 2025

Today is International Women's Day so we’re looking back at the achievements of one of our earliest women members. From setting up the first special care baby unit in the UK to delivering the first quads to all survive birth by caesarean section to becoming the 'paediatrician' at Bristol Zoo, Beryl ...

News

Looking back at paediatric education over the years

24 January 2025

It’s the International Day of Education today, 24 January. We've looked back through our historical archive at how our education and training activities have developed.

News

Looking back at our journey to becoming a Royal College

23 August 2024

Today is 28 years since the College received its Charter, on 23 August 1996. The road to becoming a Royal College was a long and winding one, beginning in the early years of our predecessor organisation, the British Paediatric Association (BPA). This blog explores how we got there.