Public health

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COVID-19 - guidance for planning paediatric staffing and rotas

This guidance aims to support those who are planning paediatric and neonatal staffing, rotas and services, and responds to the waves of the COVID-19 pandemic to date, including the Omicron variant. We are aware that different services and regions will have varying requirements and hence we are leavi...

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We can’t be complacent in stubbing out smoking among young people

18 March 2020

The overall rates of smoking among UK adults and young people have declined in recent decades. Legislation around the consumption, sale and advertisement of cigarettes has become tighter, and wide-reaching public health campaigns have taken effect.

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Professional bodies’ response to government advice for pregnant women to reduce social contact

17 March 2020

Royal Colleges respond to new coronavirus guidance for pregnant women.

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COVID-19 - message from the President, 13 March

13 March 2020

Russell updates members on how the College is responding to COVID-19. In this message, which has been emailed to all members, he outlines the College's actions towards COVID-19 and highlights advice and guidance for our members.

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COVID-19

From early 2020, we looked at the risks and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our members, the wider child health workforce and children and young people. We produced guidance around health services, the paediatric workforce, training and CPD, and are now contributing to the UK's COVID-19 Inquiry....

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We need to take a public health approach to youth violence—it’s not just a criminal matter

9 March 2020

Knife crime gets a lot of attention in the UK press and we should take this worrying trend seriously. But we should also remember that it’s only part of the story. In reality, stab wounds make up a small proportion of the total hospital admissions attributed to violent incidents, and much of the med...

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We need to invest in better smoking cessation services for pregnant women

7 March 2020

A good start in life is critical for health—and this story begins before birth. The WHO states that monitoring maternal and child health during pregnancy is critical, and that smoking is one of the most important modifiable lifestyle choices during this period.

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UK in danger of failing a generation of children and young people, says new report

4 March 2020

The RCPCH has today published State of Child Health 2020, the largest ever compilation of data on the health of babies, children and young people across all four UK nations. The report shows that for many measures of children’s health and wellbeing, progress has stalled, or is in reverse – something...

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Novel coronavirus and how the College is responding - message from your President

19 February 2020

Russell has been speaking with quite a few members about COVID-19, also known as the novel coronavirus. In this message, which has been emailed to all members, he outlines what we know and how the situation is affecting the RCPCH.

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Growing evidence linking indoor air pollution and respiratory problems in children

28 January 2020

A joint report by RCPCH and the Royal College of Physicians suggests we need to do more to improve the quality of our indoor air.