I am a member of the RCPCH Council and the Specialty Board, being the President of the British Society for the History of Paediatrics and Child Health (BSHPCH) but it is my current role as Clinical Lead for the RCPCH AAC Team (the process for appointing Consultant Paediatricians) and my previous experience as both a generalist and a specialist, which has resulted in me having contact with many different specialties.
I was a Consultant General Paediatrician in Maidstone, Kent DGH for 19 years before moving in 2007 to the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, part of Guys and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, initially as a General Paediatrician. At the Evelina, I established the Department of Diabetes and endocrinology and became a full-time Paediatric Endocrinologist. In collaboration with other teams such as genetics and renal, I helped establish a number of combined endocrine clinics and also helped set up the skeletal dysplasia and achondroplasia services. Working in a children’s hospital in a collaborative specialty, I have worked with the full range of paediatric specialties.
As a registrar, I undertook three years of research including work which later led to the national Congenital Hypothyroid Screening Programme. I continued to be very research active as a Consultant mostly in diabetes, growth and endocrinology resulting in over 70 scientific publications.
While in Maidstone, I was a Clinical Director for nine years and also led the Audit Department for the Trust. At Guys and St. Thomas’, while at the Evelina, I was a Staff Governor of the Trust for 6 years. Other work for the College includes being a Senior DCH Examiner and a Host examiner for 10 years.
Balancing the needs of generalists and specialists in both acute and community paediatrics is not easy. Specialties considerably in their maturity and needs. Children and families, often with complex conditions, benefit hugely from input from both generalists and specialists; getting this balance right is vitally important.
Email: anthonyhulse@btinternet.com