Correction - 19 August 2024: An earlier version of this blog (and the version emailed to members) stated that the RSV and pertussis vaccines cannot be administered together. This is incorrect; the RSV and pertussis vaccines can be administered at the same time. The blog text has been edited to reflect this.
I cannot tell you how pleased I am to see that the RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccination programme will be rolled out. Vaccination started here in Scotland earlier this week and begins in the rest of the UK next month. Each winter we see patients and families struggling to cope with symptoms the virus brings in the lead up to the end of the year. Staff are affected, either by having the infection themselves or needing to care for young or elderly RSV positive relatives. The NHS creaks and groans alarmingly as PICU (Paediatric Intensive Care Unit) occupancy exceeds 100% for a month, elective operations are cancelled, and it is far from a festive season in the northern hemisphere.
For those of you wondering why the vaccine has been so long in coming, there was excess morbidity and mortality seen in infant recipients of the vaccine back in the 1960s. There has understandably been a lot of anxiety about RSV vaccination since then. But we have finally got to the starting line.
As with all things, the vaccination roll-out will not be straightforward. Maternal vaccination is the chosen route and will be offered to pregnant mothers beyond 28 weeks gestation. Maternity services are no less busy than we are: so whilst this is a good news story for our youngest patients, this is an additional task for our colleagues working in maternity. Maternal pertussis vaccination rates sit at 60% due to multiple factors, including availability of vaccine and willingness to be vaccinated. We all hope that uptake of RSV vaccine is higher. It can be anticipated that vaccination roll-out will be smoother in some areas than others.
So, we may not see all the benefits of RSV vaccination this winter. But for those of us old enough to remember the terror of the child with epiglottitis and the smell of rotavirus diarrhoea, we know that vaccination is a powerful way to reduce morbidity and mortality in our patients.
#WDYCD4Y: What Does Your College Do for You?
Did you know we have an archive catalogue? Our archive holds a rich collection of over 5,000 records, charting not only the history of the College, but also the wider history of children's medicine, child health and social policy, and medical education from across the UK and globally. Our collections are all searchable on our easy-to-use online catalogue.
Alongside our archives you can also read about the College's history. Contact our Information Governance team on information.governance@rcpch.ac.uk if you're interested in viewing or donating any records to the archives.
Check your inbox - member consultation survey on Physician Associates in paediatrics
Our member consultation survey has been sent to UK members who are opted in to receive surveys. This consultation runs until 9 September and is your opportunity to be heard and shape our work on this topic. Personal survey links were sent to members’ registered email addresses by Research by Design, a research agency who will also bring together an independent, anonymised report.
If you haven’t received this but would like to, please check your contact preferences in your RCPCH member account. Find out more details about this project and how to check your account details.
Do you know anyone interested in becoming a new RCPCH Youth Trustee?
At our 2023 Annual General Meeting, RCPCH members voted for a second Youth Trustee role on our Board of Trustees. Applications are open until Tuesday 27 August and we want to hear from young people, aged 18-21 years, living anywhere in the UK and with passion and belief in #VoiceMatters. Please share this opportunity with your networks that reach young people. [Applications are since closed.]
Workforce e-rostering
Rostering is a key component of so many of our jobs, and it is fundamental to achieving a high-quality service and in supporting staff wellbeing in our services. Pressure on staffing means that rostering is more challenging than ever before. We also know it tends to be a fully manual process.
You might be interested in our case study presentation, which describes ways in which electronic self-rostering (e-rostering) can be an effective alternative to the current manual rostering approach. Please have a look and see if e-rostering could work for you.
Abstracts from Conference 24 now in the ADC
In my last update I mentioned that abstract submissions for Conference 2025 are open and that by submitting, amongst other things, you are in with a chance of a citation in the Archives of Disease in Childhood (ADC). Well, , so please go and have a look. They cover a fascinating range of global child health topics, and you never know, it may tempt you to submit your abstract for Conference 2025.
Child health inequalities driven by child poverty in the UK - updated position statement
Following the announcement of a new ministerial taskforce to develop a child poverty strategy, we updated our poverty and child health inequalities position statement. It includes new policy recommendations such as calling on England, Wales and Northern Ireland to follow Scotland’s lead in introducing a Young Patients Family Fund to help families meet the cost of attending hospital and accessing healthcare. The updated position statement explains why health must be a core consideration in any mission to tackle child poverty and I’d be grateful if you take a moment to have a look.
Gender dysphoria CYP services
Last week, for children and young people in England. As a College, we welcome this much needed work to provide new, improved services for children and young people experiencing gender dysphoria.
You can read the College’s response to the implementation plans, and we will continue to update our gender identity services and advocacy page as further guidance becomes available from NHS England.
Waiting times for children’s health services - survey
Finally, as a College we are committed to supporting our workforce and identifying a clear path forward to high quality, sustainable services for children. Today, children wait longer than adults to access healthcare, paediatric services are not recovering at the same rates as adult services, and the gap between demand and capacity is widening. As part of our ongoing advocacy work to change this, we are seeking your views via a .
This survey takes about 5 minutes to complete, and the results will be used to help us keep under-pressure children’s health services in the public eye.
The survey comes ahead of a launch of a flagship report from the College that will call on the UK government to commit to seven core recommendations to recover children's health services. We need to hear from you to complete the survey. Please add your voice and help us to convince the UK governments and Assemblies to act.
Best wishes,
Steve
This message was emailed to all RCPCH members who are opted in to receive College updates / professional updates. You can update your contact preferences at any time - log in to your RCPCH online account, go to My account | Your contact preferences, then make sure you've ticked College updates / professional updates.