newsRCPCHWINTER 2008

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

Royal opening of newCollege building 8-9

CEMACH Update 6

HENRY receives National Award 7

Leading the way in children’s health

Court skillsThe evidence I shall give shall be the truth... 10

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Be warned, this column is a personal view. Ifyou don’t agree with me, please let me know.The problem with writing a regular column fora newsletter is that you keep having to do it,and you forget what you wrote last time, orwhat your predecessor wrote… The otherproblem is that of topicality – will what I writenow, in mid-November, be relevant when youread this in some months time? I thought itmight be of interest to reflect on today’scuttings sent out by our efficient media team.So what follows are my unrefined thoughts ontoday’s stories – some new and some evolving.

Baby P. I am sure this will mean somethingwhen you read this article. The initial is redolentwith imagery already. He will I suspect, likeVictoria Climbie, have far-reaching implicationsfor our safeguarding (and broader child health)services. But what is it about a specific death thatresults in such intense media interest? Severalchildren a week die as a result of child abuseand neglect, yet only a handful provokes suchinterest. RCPCH is doing much to improvestandards in the medical contribution to childprotection. Yet there are major dilemmas in whatwe do. How can we make clear the overlapbetween “over-reaction” and “failure” (their words,not mine)? Should we, and how do we, conveythe difficult message that children die at the handsof their carers, not their professionals? Does thissound uncaring and arrogant? How do we balancethe needs to protect with the desire to keepchildren with their families? And am I alone inthinking that the media interest could be seenas prurient, and that even the use of “Baby P”as a descriptor of the child, whose photographshave been widely published, might show a lackof respect to him and his short life? Does he notdeserve the dignity of a name – who are weprotecting? I am sure he will be with us, andinfluencing us, in the future. Locally I have beenparty to two high profile Part 8 Case Reviews, andtheir names continue to be relevant – Rikki Neaveand Lauren Wright. Perhaps the purpose of themedia scrutiny is to try and make some sense ofthe tragedy, and help systems improve, ratherthan to seek to attribute blame to professionals,who are mostly trying to do their best, oftenwith limited resources and with difficult families.

A brave young lady, Hannah Jones, declinedthe opportunity to have a heart transplant.Discussion today is about whether this willencourage others to decline such surgery. If a youngperson decides that she doesn’t want a treatment,and she is competent to take such a decision,

should we not respect this? I recently attended aseminar on emotional and psychological needs ofchildren and families with heart disease, and cameaway realising that treatment is not always thebest option. We need to consider quality as wellas quantity of life.

Meningitis lessons haven’t been heeded, saysvictim’s father. A story from Wales about a fatherwho feels that health staff are still not sufficientlyaware of the early signs of meningococcal infection.His personal tragedy rings clear – we need totake parents’ concerns seriously. But how doesthis balance with the problems of resources,pressure on paediatric admissions etc?

Obesity is programmed before birth, or atleast it is in rats. This may be some comfort tothose of us with a BMI above the approved range,but the science is serious. Eating a high-fat dietin pregnancy may cause changes in the foetalbrain that lead to overeating and obesity earlyin life. Rats born to mothers fed a high-fat diethad more brain cells specialised to produceappetite-stimulating proteins. What does this meanfor us? Maybe an increased emphasis on healthpromotion and support in early pregnancy is aneffective approach to reducing the “obesityepidemic”. Or are our children different from rats?

And finally, the government is minded toover-rule an Expert Working Group that advisesthat donor opt-out for organ transplantationshould not be supported. Not sure what I think,other than wondering why ask experts if youdon’t take their advice: perhaps a bit like ourown Council tinkering with documents writtenby expert working parties?

Hopefully the health warning means youstayed with me to the end! As I said, please let me know what you think. Sorry if you findmy wonderings shallow, but maybe theyreflect how we approach our jobs in thecontext of a wider society. And perhaps theymight be eligible for CPD points as reflectivenotes – writing this has made me think aboutthe issues rather than just read about them.

If you want to see the articles I refer to,ask Ella Wilson (Ella.Wilson@rcpch.ac.uk) ourmedia affairs assistant for her Daily Cuttingsemail of 17th November 2008.

Dr David VickersRCPCH REGISTRAR

Editorials

From the Registrar4Media Update

Paul Polani Research Fund 2009

5CPD Update

6CEMACH Update

The Role of the Consultant withSubspecialty Training inPaediatric Emergency Medicine

7Improving Paediatric Practice in Young People’s Health

HENRY receives a National award

8-9Royal opening of new Collegebuilding

10The evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth andnothing but the truth

11The NHS and climate change

Paediatricians make the case for a smacking ban

12SASG news

Health Informatics: an update

14Trainees’ column

NPSA/RCPCH - Safer Practice in Neonatal Care ProjectNeonatal Transport Survey

15Meetings

In the news

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This job occasionally gets me into challengingsituations. Picture, for example, this recent one.I am at the annual dinner of the Royal Collegeof Ophthalmologists and am seated betweenthe President of the General Medical Counciland the President of the Guide Dogs for theBlind Association. The latter is himself blindand has his guide dog with him which heintroduces to me, adding, rather ominously,that the dog is due to retire soon and is“demob happy”. The round tables are slightlysmall for 8 people and there is not a great dealof room for the dog which rather strenuouslyinserts itself between me and its master. Ishuffle as far to my left as possible but there isnot much leeway. The dog continues to pressfor space and, as an added tactic, begins tonuzzle my leg. This presents me with adilemma. It seems desperately incorrect onseveral levels to smack a guide dog across thechops, particularly in the presence of hisillustrious master. On the other hand if I moveany further to my left I will be sitting on the lapof the President of the GMC, which will nodoubt call my registration into question – andquite possibly his too. I opt for a firm but fair“swimming swan” approach. Above the table Icontinue to smile and converse smoothly whilstbelow the table the dog and I vie for supremacy.We eventually reach an accommodationwhereby the dog finds some space and fallsasleep rather heavily across my feet.

There are several instances where oneneeds to maintain apparent calm in stressfulcircumstances when in fact there is turmoilbeneath the surface and a lot of activityexpended in trying to put things right. Thecurrent workforce crisis is one such instance.We are under considerable stress withnumerous gaps in the rotas and a shortfall inrecruitment to more senior posts for whichinternational medical graduates used to apply.We don’t want patients to suffer as a result, soteams are fully stretched in trying to deliverthe service as usual. Consultants are spendingmore hours in the hospital or being residentand trainees are asked to do longer hours. Wehope that patients don’t notice this desperateactivity but they cannot be receiving thecontinuity of care that we value and aim todeliver. The SHAs certainly don’t seem to havenoticed. During one of the many meetings inwhich I and others were highlighting theseproblems we were told that SHAs are notreporting any problems with WTD

compliance. I was amazed by this – butsuspect what is happening is that posts arebeing reported as compliant despite the factthat the people in them are not.

It would be important to ensure your trustknows of any difficulties in keeping the rotacompliant, especially as August 2009 and the 48-hour rule get ever closer. Your Chief Executiveshould be informed and asked to reportdifficulties to the SHA. It is crucial that we tellpeople at these levels, because if the SHAs arenot reporting concerns to the Department ofHealth and the Workforce Directorate we have amuch weaker case to present. As I write this, Iam due to visit the Minister responsible forworkforce next week and I hope that, as youread this I will have been able to report back viathe e-mail bulletin. I can assure you theSecretary of State is also aware and we are alsotalking to the NHS Confederation.

There have been rumours, as a resultperhaps of an early feedback on the censusthat we will have to be cutting back on traineenumbers. This is not true. As a result of moresophisticated modelling we have found thattrainees are taking longer to obtain their CCTand to take up consultant posts than we hadpredicted. We need to take into accountflexible working, career breaks, maternityleave, change of career and delay in taking upposts at all levels whilst waiting for idealgeographical location. In addition weanticipate that we will need to increaseconsultant numbers to 6000 posts (about 4000whole time equivalents) in order to deliverservices as set out in Modelling the Future II(and III which is due out soon) and we willneed more trainees to fill these posts. So wethink we are probably at about the right levelnow and have no plans to reduce thenumbers. We will need to keep this underreview – the credit crunch might inducetrainees to move more quickly to consultantposts and if we obtain the numbers ofconsultants we are fighting for there will bemore consultant opportunities in every locationso people can apply for the job they want inthe place they want and this too shouldencourage swifter uptake of consultant posts.

The “swimming swan” approach alsoapplies to media issues and to ACCEA awards.A lot of activity goes on to prevent theCollege and paediatricians being featured inthe media and clearly the work done inachieving that end is not visible.

As far as ACCEA is concerned, at the timeof writing we are also expending a lot ofactivity and energy on the process for nationalhigher awards. You may think this is a simpleor even random process. In fact we invitenominations from regional committees viacouncillors, regional advisers, and specialtygroup conveners and accept self nominations.The senior officers, our lay representative andcouncil representative non-award holder thenindividually assess and score each application(and this year we received over 130 of these)across each domain as defined by ACCEA.The scores are collated and each of those inthe highest tranche – taken as just over thelimit we are allowed to nominate - isdiscussed. Those that have not made that cutare discussed to see if any have been omittedunfairly. Then we write a citation for everysuccessful nomination.

We recently had a New Fellows’ Day.This is the first we have held and it was Ithink successful. We invited recently electedfellows to the college and talked about howthe college works and what it can do foryou. More importantly it set out what youcan do for the college. We need tutors,examiners, committee members and chairs,officers and senior officers. We need peopleto respond to consultations and to readdocuments on behalf of Council to checkthat we are getting them right. We want you to self nominate or volunteer yourcolleagues. We realise that there areconsiderable pressures at work and thatmany trusts are reluctant to release peoplefor college work. David Nicholson the ChiefExecutive of the NHS and Lord Darzi arecommitted to doctors having time madeavailable to contribute to training andeducation and to the quality improvementagenda. So chief executives ought to bereleasing people for national and regionalwork. Please let us know if you are beingprevented from taking up any of these postsbecause of local pressures.

You are the College and we cannotsucceed without you.

Dr Patricia HamiltonRCPCH PRESIDENT

RCPCH newsEditorials

From the President

The Department of Health launched its MMR catch-up campaign in Augustand the RCPCH voiced it support stating ‘all children and young peopleshould have the MMR vaccine. Overwhelming scientific evidence shows itis safe’. The RCPCH statement was quoted by the BBC website, DailyTelegraph, ITV News website, Daily Express and Guardian. DavidElliman, RCPCH immunisation spokesperson also appeared on GMTVand BBC Breakfast News.

Patricia Hamilton spoke to Health Service Journal (HSJ) about theimportance of leadership in medical training, raising the point that‘management and leadership skills are just as necessary for goodoutcomes and the safety of patients as having requisite clinical skills’.

In late August the End Child Poverty Campaign produced a report aboutthe health of children living in poverty. The RCPCH released a response tothis report and was quoted in the Observer and Children & Young PeopleNow. ‘Health inequalities in childhood lead to health inequalities inadulthood’ and the College supported the recommendations in the briefing.

Adolescent health has also been in the news. The Conservatives haveaccused Labour of neglecting teen health, and an article in the Guardianincluded a mention of the Adolescent Health Project that was launchedby Alan Johnson at the RCPCH the previous month. In September theHSJ published an article about adolescent health services, includingdetails of the Adolescent Health Project and quoted Russell Viner.

The British Paediatric Surveillance Unit (BPSU) released its 22nd AnnualReport in September and Nursing Times and Medical News Today covered this.

The BMJ printed an editorial about medical law and child protectionin September which the Independent also reported. The article in theIndependent included quotes from Patricia Hamilton and Rosalyn Proopsabout child protection and the role of paediatricians.

In early October, the Children and Young Person’s Bill was debated inthe House of Commons. As a supporter of the Children Are Unbeatable!Campaign, the RCPCH issued a new position statement on corporalpunishment and was mentioned in The Times as one of the organisationsbacking the bid for children to be given the same protection againstassault as adults.

The GMC publicised the members of their reconstituted Council, whowill take office in January 2009. RCPCH Vice President for Science andResearch and President Elect, Terence Stephenson, and Former Officerfor Ireland John Jenkins are among the appointed members and this wasreported in Nottingham’s local press.

In Mid-November the news was dominated by the Haringey safeguardingcase – Baby P. The RCPCH jointly signed a media statement in response tothe verdict, which was led by the Children’s Inter-Agency Group. PatriciaHamilton was quoted in the Society Guardian saying ‘frontline professionalsneed the time and support to carry out this difficult work’. Rosalyn Proops,the Officer for Child Protection, was interviewed by the BBC News websiteand The Guardian, where she explained the complexities of child protectionwork. Patricia Hamilton’s letter in response to the Observer’s article aboutBirmingham Children’s Hospital was also published in mid-November. Shehighlighted that ‘the reductions in the hours that doctors are permittedto work mean that our children’s workforce is under serious pressure’.

To keep up-to-date with news articles that mention or quote the RCPCH,or to stay informed about what is going on within paediatrics and child health,visit the website for a regular summary of articles - www.rcpch.ac.uk/media

Ella Wilson MEDIA AFFAIRS ASSISTANT

Media Update

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News

Annual General Meeting 2009In accordance with the Bye Laws the College wishes to servenotice to the membership that the next Annual General Meetingof the College will be held on Tuesday 31 March 2009 at 6.15pmat the University of York, during the College’s Spring Meeting.

Motions and items of business should be submitted in writing tothe College Registrar not less than 10 weeks before the date ofthe meeting (Tuesday 20 January 2009), accompanied by thesignature of 15 Ordinary Members or Fellows.

Paul Polani ResearchFund 2009The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) andthe British Academy of Childhood Disability (BACD) are callingfor applications to the Paul Polani Research Fund, which supportsresearch in paediatric neurodisability in the UK.

The Fund aims to encourage research and innovation in the field ofPaediatric Neurodisability. Research to build a robust evidence-base isessential to provide optimal service to maintain and strengthen resourcesfor Children and Young People with Disabilities and their families.

Up to £7,500 is available to enable teams to pilot, undertake, orcomplete research projects based in paediatric neurodisability.Applications may be from teams or individuals (of any discipline).

To ApplyThe Fund is administered by BACD. Download a copy of theapplication form from the BACD website (www.bacdis.org.uk) todescribe the aims of the project, the methods to be used, and howthe money will be spent.

A review panel from the BACD Executive Committee will scoreapplications using the following criteria:• Relevance to Neurodisability• Methodology• Relevance of Outcomes• Achievability• Multi-Disciplinary Approach

The BACD Executive Committee will recommend the successful applicantto the RCPCH Academic Board for formal ratification. The winner willbe announced at the BACD Annual Scientific Meeting on Friday 6thMarch 2009 and will be invited to present the findings of the projectat the ASM in 2011 and will be supported in disseminating the results.

This is your opportunity to start or finish that important piece ofresearch to make a difference for your service and others.

Closing Date: 5pm, Friday 5th February 2009.

Applications must be submitted via email to kelly.robinson@rcpch.ac.uk

For more information, please contact us on the above email.

British Academy ofChildhood Disability

B A C DBritish Academy ofChildhood Disability

B A C D

News RCPCH news

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This year the RCPCH Guidelines for CPDhave been extensively revised so do have acareful look at them as soon as they appearon the College website. This revision haspartly come about because, after 10 years, a rewrite seems timely and partly as anevolution towards harmonisation betweencolleges in the run up to Revalidation. Thanks to SASG member on the committee,Ned Rowlands, there is also now a singlepage summary.

A new category, “Personal CPD”, alreadyfamiliar to members of the RCS and RCP, hasbeen introduced. This represents all thoseactivities where you have to make your ownassessment of the number of credits to claim.It neatly sweeps up activities listed as “other”in previous editions such as writing of clinicalguidelines and preparing postgraduateteaching. Most paediatricians are familiar withusing the College format of reflective notes torecord informal learning from clinicalinteractions. The reflective note exemplifiespersonal CPD and you are encouraged to usethis format to record learning from allpersonal CPD. Paediatricians are encouragedto aim for at least 10 credits per year in thesevaluable areas of learning.

As previously, limits are set on someactivities. This is to ensure a broad spectrumof CPD; thus the limit for personal CPD is 20credits. However, these limits merelyrepresent the maximum which may count

towards the annual minimum of 50 credits (or250 over five years) so do not be discouragedfrom recording all activity in these areas. Oneimportant change for postgraduate examinersand tutors on advanced life support courses is that CPD should now be claimed per day – one credit for examining and two for lifesupport courses. The old guideline simplygave an annual limit of 5 and 10 creditsrespectively. This was not equitable as, forinstance, a single day or 5 days of examiningcould have resulted in the same claim of 5 credits.

The 2009 Guidelines make frequentreference to “revalidation” – the process bywhich we will be required every five yearsnot only to justify re-licensing with the GMCbut also our continued qualification forspecialty status. The Academy of MedicalRoyal Colleges (AoMRC) is currentlydeveloping the processes for re-validation butit is already certain that an adequate portfolioof CPD will be a requirement. The RCPCHCPD systems are, as members would expect,among the best developed and will be in thevanguard of this development. Paediatriciansare, thus, unlikely to experience largechanges in their CPD obligations.

Change must still occur in the quality ofrecording CPD activities. The need for CPD isalready accepted as the status quo: 97% ofpaediatricians are registered with the collegeCPD scheme. However, the prevalence of

good quality or, indeed, any records remainsworryingly low? This year just 53% of thoserequested for evidence of CPD were able tomeet the requirements. This was despite 9months of chasing, only requiring proof of 25points of external CPD and setting the bar aslow as practically any documentation relatedto the activity. In the future, the evidence barmust include internal and personal CPD andis likely to require evidence of learning -contemporaneous notes, reflective records,presentations, guidelines and audit reports!

Savings from abolition of the old plasticwallets have paid for a new and robustonline record which we hope will lightenthe load of recording CPD activity. Thisshould be in place in time for the 2009 CPDyear but what else must you do to meetyour New Year Resolutions on CPD? Here are some suggestions:• If you have not already got one, write a

PDP and get it signed by your appraiser.

• Find a slot in your diary now to plan asystem which will work for you.

• Get a ring binder for 2009 and make sureyou, or your secretary, file in date order,everything related to each activity - studyleave agreements, programs, notes.

• If you keep electronic records, order thesesimilarly in folders for each year and havethem cross referenced in your paperrecord. Keep electronic records on yournetwork or back them up elsewhere.

• Whatever your resolutions know yourselfand also set aside 20 minutes in your diaryeach month to catch up, tidy up and doyour on line record.

• Consider using the notes pages on youronline record – you may record areflective note directly here without theneed for any additional note or evendictate this for your secretary to enter onyour behalf.

• Make sure that your department has arobust means for recording attendance atinternal CPD meetings.

From all in the CPD Office: Have a happyand fulfilling New CPD Year!

Dr Rollo CliffordCPD OFFICER

CPD Update

News

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There are lots of important findings forpaediatricians in the recently-published firstreport on Why Children Die of theConfidential Enquiry into Maternal and ChildHealth (CEMACH).

This is the first report of the CEMACHChild Death Review. It considers whether theconfidential enquiry approach can be used toidentify avoidable factors in child deaths andto indicate potential areas for further study.

In its search for avoidable factors inchildren’s deaths, the study found manyexamples of good care where the childnevertheless died. However, there wereoccasional examples of health carepractitioners in primary care and in hospitalwho had difficulty in recognising serious illnessin children. Examples of problems includedassessment by doctors with little paediatrictraining, insufficient attention to history,inadequate examination and observation,

failure to anticipate or recognise complications,ignoring of published guidance and poorsafety-netting (discharge advice and follow-up).

The sample of cases looked at by thestudy covered a broad range of illnesses:asthma, overdose, infection and intracranialhaemorrhage, major trauma, meningitis. Adata set was collected of all child deathsaged 28 days to 17 years 364 days in selectedregions in 2006.

Through multidisciplinary panel review, 31cases were identified in which there wasreason to think deaths night have been avoided(out of 119 cases with sufficient information).CEMACH believes that if this small study isexpanded to a national scale, it would be veryvaluable for informing health policy.

CEMACH recommends that:• hospital paediatric care should have a

standardised identification system fordetecting potential critical illness such asthe adult MEWS score;

• all health care professionals treating sickchildren should have appropriate trainingand supervision so that key skills andcompetencies can be demonstrated, andstandards maintained. One resource fortraining purposes is the DVD produced bymyself, Spotting the Sick Child(www.ocbmedia.com) This is twice citedin the CEMACH report,

• observing national guidelines is essential;• parents and carers should be encouraged

to seek further advice if a child’s conditionfails to improve and to obtain a clearstatement of deterioration. They should beinformed whom they should contact forthese purposes,

• improved detection of children with mentalhealth problems is a priority. Self-harm inthis age group requires multi—disciplinaryassessment, led by CAMHS;

• health services should proactively follow upchildren who miss medical appointments;

• planning for future terminal care shouldconsider if care at home or in hospice isbetter than in hospital;

• a mechanism is needed for ongoingnational epidemiological analysis of allchild deaths to find avoidable factors;

• coroners and local safeguarding children boardsshould be involved in this process, anddeath certificates need to reflect the causeof death and co-morbidity more accurately.

For paediatricians, the following actions arisefrom the report:• to ensure colleagues within the

organisation are aware of nationalguidelines such as NICE fever guidelines;

• to evaluate and support liaison arrangementswith their local Emergency Department;

• to make rapid referral slots readily availableto Emergency Departments and GPs;

• to support outreach acute illness nursingfollow-up;

• to examine whether local clinical networksfor mental health, head injury, terminalcare, and paediatric intensive care arerobust. Audits of individual patientjourneys can be invaluable in this respect.

Web link to the CEMACH Report:www.cemach.org.uk/getattachment/72d46ead-b529-466d-b0c3-4794d6a30203/Why-Children-Die--A-pilot-study-(2006).aspx

Dr Ffion DaviesCHAIR, INTERCOLLEGIATE COMMITTEE –SERVICES FOR CHILDREN IN EMERGENCY

DEPARTMENTS

The Intercollegiate Committee for Servicesfor Children in Emergency Departments hasproduced a short document to assist inunderstanding the role of paediatricconsultants with subspecialty training inPaediatric Emergency Medicine (PEM).

The report shows how these consultants

can improve the interfaces betweenemergency paediatric care, short stayinpatient care, outreach community care,child protection, and paediatric critical care.Examples of job plans are included.

The publication will provide vital help tothe Chief Executives of commissioner and

provider bodies, and Clinical Directors ofPaediatrics and Emergency Departments, inplanning for service change.

To read the full report please visitwww.rcpch.ac.uk/Health-Services/Emergency-Care

CEMACH Update

The Role of the Consultant with SubspecialtyTraining in Paediatric Emergency Medicine

News RCPCH news

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Young People’s HealthSpecial Interest Group – successful first conference

October 9-10th 2008 saw the first residentialconference for paediatricians on youngpeople’s health organised by YPHSIG.

Keynote presentations included training inyoung people’s health/adolescent medicine,“you’re welcome” and developing inpatientservices for young people. The majority ofthe conference was spent in experientialworkshops including communication andconsultation skills; consent, confidentialityand sexual health; young people with lifelimiting conditions; young people inchallenging circumstances and substancemisuse and participation.

Materials from the conference are availableon the YPHSIG website www.yphsig.org.uk

We look forward to welcoming newmembers at our next meeting at the RCPCHSpring Meeting where we will be launchinga £150 prize for the best medical student ortrainee presentation on young people’shealth. Our second two day conference willbe in October 2009.

Dr Gill TurnerCHAIR OF YPHSIG

The College project HENRY – Health ExerciseNutrition for the Really Young – has beenawarded the prestigious Best Practice Awardfor 2008 by the Association for the Study ofObesity. HENRY is an innovative programmethat aims to tackle childhood obesity byskilling health and community practitioners towork more effectively with parents and carersof babies and toddlers.

HENRY was conceived by Mary Rudolfand Candida Hunt in 2006 following a meetingof the RCPCH Obesity Research Group. Seedfunding from the Child Growth Foundation ledto the development of training and resourcesand in 2007 support for HENRY’s rollout cameto the College from the Department of Healthand the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

With this funding HENRY is expanding farbeyond the original vision. The pilot acrossOxfordshire showed that trainees gainedconfidence in their work with families andmade changes in their own lives. A review ofChildren’s Centres 3-6 months later showed thatchanges had been implemented within theCentres that managers attributed to HENRY.The Childhood Obesity and HENRY e-learningcourse was piloted on 535 learners, whoreported that their skills had improved as wellas their knowledge base; 98% said that they

would recommend the course to colleagues.HENRY is cited in three government

documents, including the Child HealthPromotion Programme. This has led towidespread interest: HENRY has captured theimagination of PCTs, Strategic HealthAuthorities and government regions acrossEngland. The overwhelming demand forHENRY training (60 training courses arealready booked for September 2008-July 2009)demonstrates their recognition of the urgentneed to skill practitioners working in thesensitive area of obesity.

Developing HENRY has been excitingand challenging, and we are delighted thatthe ASO has recognised the specialcontribution HENRY is making to tacklingchildhood obesity.

For details about HENRY go towww.henry.org.ukTo sample the HENRY e-course go towww.ukvirtual-college.co.uk Contact MaryRudolf if you are considering commissioningthe course for colleagues and would like acomplimentary login.

Professor Mary RudolfMs Candida Hunt

HENRY receives a National award

ImprovingPaediatricPractice inYoung People’sHealth

News

Page 8

Royal opening of new College buildingOn 16th October 2008, the RCPCH’s new building in Theobalds Road, London wasofficially opened by HRH The Princess Royal, the College’s Patron. The Princess’s visitbegan with a seminar on the College’s international activities, led by the David BaumFellow, Dr Stephen Greene.

She was then shown around the College’s new offices by the President, meeting all thestaff who were present that day. Her extensive knowledge of the RCPCH’s activitieswas evident to those who met her, as was her interest in the College’s work.

Finally, the Princess unveiled a plaque in the ground floor “Gallery” area marking theoccasion, and was presented with flowers by two of the College’s younger helpers.

Royal opening of new College building

RCPCH news

Page 9

Page 10

News

I have never had to give evidence in courtbefore. I have seen plenty of alleged assaultcases and potential child protection cases atwork but, up until now, my statements havealways been accepted and never challengedby any of the parties involved.

I’ve often wondered what happens to mystatements once I have written them. Howdoes the court deal with them? What weightis placed upon them? What would it really belike to have to appear in front of a court andgive evidence and be cross examined?

When I heard about the Court Skills forPaediatricians Course, organised by the RoyalCollege of Paediatrics and Child Health, Ithought that this sounded like the perfectopportunity to learn more about the courtprocess and the law involved. The course aimedto increase the interest, knowledge, confidenceand skills of participants in undertaking courtwork in all jurisdictions affecting children.

There were sessions on relevant legalframeworks as well as an introduction to theprocess of accepting instructions and planningand undertaking assessments in both civil andcriminal cases.

As I am approaching my CCT I thought thatthis course would be ideal to try and consolidatemy clinical child protection experience and toexplore some of the more legal aspects of thiswork. Little did I then know that on the lastafternoon of the course I would be sat in amock-court in front of two experiencedbarristers to cross examine me for 15 minutes ona statement I had written a mere 48 hoursbeforehand. As I sat waiting for my turn Irealised that my mouth was dry and my pulsewas racing, and this was just a mock exercise! Isurvived my grilling intact and, despite my initialnervousness, I found the whole processfascinating as well as very enjoyable.

I left the course thinking that I wanted tolearn more and see some of the techniquesand skills in practise in a real-life situation.The Court of Appeal Judge who attended ourcourse to discuss areas of interest with ussuggested that we might like to consider mini-pupillages and our course tutor, the RCPCHChild Protection Officer, was only too happyto help me arrange to make contact with aJudge in my own area of the country.

I had an incredibly enthusiastic e-mailfrom the Judge a couple of days later. Whydon’t you come and see me in court and we

can discuss any questions you might haveand you can see what we do here?

So, a few weeks later I found myself outsideof the Court Room waiting for the day’s businessto begin. An usher came to meet me and I wasescorted through to the secure side of the courtrooms where the Judges’ Chambers are found.I was met by the Judge with the same enthusiasmas the initial e-mail had indicated. It was to bea busy three days and the Judge spent a lot oftime telling me about the legal processes involvedin each of the cases we were to see that day aswell as giving me access to the relevant reportsthat would be discussed in Court throughoutthe rest of the week.

The first case was an adoption. The rulinghad been given earlier and the family werereturning to the court to receive the relevantofficial documents. The Judge had a greatinteraction with the children and familyinvolved. The family had asked if it waspossible to take some photographs in the courtroom and the Judge was enthusiastic aboutdonning robes and having photographs takenwith the children. Chocolate and crayons wereproduced from under the robes and thechildren were allowed to sit in the Judge’schair and have their photograph taken as arecord of the event for the family. The wholesession gave me an insight into the work thatthe judiciary try and do with families in thesekind of situations – it was clear that the Judgehad taken a lot of time to learn some of thebackground about the family who were goingto be the adoptive parents, and I felt that thefamily went away with some positivememories that they will be able to look backon over future years.

The rest of the three days were not alwaysas informal as the first session. When the timecame for the next case, I had already had anopportunity to look through the case files anddiscuss the medical evidence with the Judge andto learn the kind of information that the courtfinds helpful. As we went along the corridor tothe next court room, it was only after I had gonethrough the door that I realised the Judge hadtaken me to the bench and had arranged for aseat to be placed next to the Judge’s chair. I wasa little taken aback to find rows of barristers andsolicitors facing me, and I was a little unsureabout in which direction I was supposed to bow!

Sitting on the bench with the Judge, insome cases in the High Court, gave me a

fantastic insight into the whole court process.I was able to see written evidence at firsthand as well as to directly observe crossexaminations of witnesses as well as todiscuss, in between cases, relevant points ofinterest or law with the Judge concerned.

The Judge had gone to a lot of effort toarrange for me to see as many cases aspossible, and meet as many Judicial colleaguesas possible, to give me a broad experience ofthe kind of work they do, within a relativelyshort period of time of three days.

This was an incredibly valuable experiencethat I would heartily recommend to anypaediatrician who may be involved in childprotection work, or legal work involving children,in the future. The next time someone says tothat they have a “court order” I will hopefullyremember the difference between a SpecialGuardianship Order, a Care Order, a ResidenceOrder, an Interim Care Order and a SupervisionOrder, as well as, importantly, who has parentalresponsibility in each of these cases and howthat affects who can consent for treatment Imay wish to offer an individual patient.

The next time I’m preparing a statement Iwill know what phrases to avoid and how themanner in which I write my statement can affectmy future involvement in a case and influencewhether a court appearance may be necessary. Iwill have a greater understanding of some of thepublished medical evidence concerning childprotection matters and what the courts find helpful.

I came away with a much greaterunderstanding of the Children Act as well assome of the other legislation which is used inCivil and Criminal Cases involving children. Myconfidence at dealing with some of the issueswhich are raised in legal child protection workhas increased since attending court and sittingwith Judges.

I can understand the considerableanxieties that some paediatricians haveconcerning child protection work – the lastthing any of us wants is to be criticised by thecourt process or to get something wrong withpotentially disastrous effects on a child andfamily – but I found that the Judges I metwere extremely knowledgeable, experiencedand really valued the contributions thatmedical staff make to the court and to theircases. They were all enthusiastic aboutpaediatricians coming to see them at work. Ihad an extremely beneficial three days and am

The evidence I shall give shall be the truth, the whole truth

and nothing but the truth: The RCPCH Court Skills Course

RCPCH news

Page 11

really pleased that I organised this mini-pupillage. I had unrestricted access to theJudiciary, in both formal and informal settings,who were dealing with a whole host ofdifferent cases and this was an excellentopportunity to ask questions, to discuss casesand to remove some of the mystery of whatgoes on behind closed doors in court.

Next week I have been unexpectedly

called to The High Court in connection with a patient I saw in the EmergencyDepartment over a year ago. This time itwill be me giving evidence in the witnessbox but having seen what goes on duringmy mini-pupillage I feel much moreprepared for this experience than I did afew months ago…

For further details of the RCPCH Court

Skills for Paediatricians Course to be held on11th and 12th May 2009 please contact JuliaSharp (Julia.Sharp@rcpch.ac.uk).

Dr Andrew Rowland Specialist Registrar in PaediatricEmergency Medicine at Alder HeyChildren’s NHS Foundation Trust

Together with the BMJ and Faculty of PublicHealth, the College co-hosted a ground-breaking conference in its new building in Juneon the NHS and climate change: how to reducethe carbon footprint of the health sector.

The first task was to make sure that wepracticed what we preached, and hence noplastic disposables were to be seen on the day,and fashionable cotton bags were used for the handouts (all printed back to back). Andno-one flew to the meeting, which was just as well as Fiona Godlee (Editor of the BMJ)brought along copies of the Journal of thatweek (28th June 2008), which highlighted thecarbon load of large medical conferences.

Highlights of the well-attended meeting forme were the opening talk by David Pencheon,chief executive of the NHS sustainabledevelopment unit; the work of the CarbonTrust; the session on conferencing from adistance, by Hugh Montgomery and MontyMythen; and the accounts by several speakerson effecting change within organisations.

Alan Maryon-Davis (President of FPH)presented data on the reality of climate change

and the enormity of its impact on health,particularly in the third world and on vulnerablegroups such as children. No-one need doubtnow that this is the number one public healththreat and we all have a part in tackling it.

David Pencheon spoke stirringly of theNHS role in climate change – both in lookingafter those affected (35,000 died prematurely asa result of Europe’s heat wave in 2003) and incontributing to the problems (the Carbonfootprint of the NHS in England is 18 milliontonnes of CO2 per annum). He described thehealth, financial and moral benefits of reducingcarbon outputs and where cuts can easily bemade. Areas for action have been spelled out in the paper from the SDU Saving Carbon,Improving lives which is highly readable.Website www.sdu.nhs.uk/page.php?area_id=7

The Carbon Trust gives free advice andhas an NHS carbon management programme.Salford Royal University Teaching Hospitalshows what can be done: annual savings of£284,000 out of energy costs of £2 million, and25% saving in CO2 through lighting controls,fitting inverters to various motors, and using

metering to allow departmental targets to beset. Any Trust wanting to cut its carbon andsave money, should call in the Carbon Trustnow! www.carbontrust.co.uk/nhs

For many the best and most relevant part ofthe programme was the demonstration of videoconferencing, which is a walkover in the newRCPCH building. Why fly half way round theworld when you can hear the speaker round the corner? Yes, you miss out on the networking.But can we justify an international meetingwhose footprint is greater than the annual outputof an African country? The simple version ofconferencing demonstrated by BT, can be carriedout from any home or office computer. UsingWeb-Ex, a group of up to 20 can share materialon their screens whilst talking together over thephone. Please try this out for your meetings: justthink of the travel time you can save.

The afternoon workshops coveredsustainable transport, health procurement and theuse of high tech approaches. All these and moreare on the website – together with a ten pointplan for medics that you can start on today!

Dr Tony Waterston CHAIR, RCPCH ADVOCACY COMMITTEE

Following the piece in the summer newsletteron prospects for an amendment to the law togive children the same protection as adultsagainst violence and assault, the matter cameto the House of Commons on 8th October.

In the lead up to this debate, manypaediatricians wrote or spoke to their MP toencourage them to vote in favour of theamendment, which would remove the clause inthe Children Act which allows a defence ofreasonable chastisement if a parent is accusedof violence against their child. The Children areUnbeatable Alliance (CAUA), of which the RCPCHis a member, were very active in distributing

postcards to be sent to MPs and in holdingregional meetings for members. They consideredthat if a free vote was allowed, then a majority ofLabour MPs would vote for the equal protectionof children. The RCPCH President wrote to EdBalls, Secretary of State for children, familiesand schools to request that there be a free voteon this important matter.

The main objection from some MPs tovoting for equal protection seemed to be themisguided view that parents would becriminalised, might be reported by their childrenand could be refused jobs following a CRB check.Experience from Sweden is that the change in

climate in relation to the use of violence in thehome is not associated with more parentsbeing charged with an offence. After a meetingwith paediatricians, my MP said that he wouldin fact vote in favour whereas before I thinkhe might have abstained.

In the event, no vote was held as theamendment was talked out owing to the economiccrisis. It was very disappointing that childrenmissed out once again, but with the strongleadership of the CAUA and the solid advocacy ofpaediatricians, it is just a matter of time beforethey receive equal protection under the law. Abig thank you to all members who wrote to theirMP – we shall make a difference eventually.

Dr Tony Waterston CHAIR, RCPCH ADVOCACY COMMITTEE

The NHS and climate change

Paediatricians make the casefor a smacking ban

News

Page 12

The RCPCH SASG committee are currentlytrying to strengthen our links with theother RCPCH committees who focus onissues of particular relevance to SASGdoctors. We have SASG representativeslinking with the CPD committee, themembership committee, the trainingcommittee and the Article 14 committee.Over the next year I hope to include in thiscolumn issues relevant to our groupdiscussed in these committees. This time Iwould like to focus on CPD. Dr Rowlandsan associate specialist from Blackpoolattends this committee on our behalf. Hewould like to remind us that revalidation isto begin in the Autumn of 2009 andamongst other things CPD will be very

important in this process. The SASGcommittee would recommend that all SASGdoctors register with the College CPDScheme. New Guidelines will be publishedin the near future and there will be anupdated online system for recording CPD activities.

All doctors will need to keep hardevidence in the form of certificates orrelevant paper work. During audits carriedout by the College it has become apparentthat evidence for internal CPD has been thehardest for members to produce. We shouldall encourage our departments to devisesystems for confirming attendance at internalmeetings. In addition, for those applying toPMETB for CESR evidence of appropriate

CPD is essential so the effort involved willbe well worthwhile.

We continue to work on strengtheningour network of regional representatives. Dr Wilkinson an associate specialist fromGlasgow and the deputy chair of the SASG committee is leading this project for us.The aim is that each region should have aSASG rep who forms a strong link betweenthe SASG paediatricians in their region andthe SASG committee. A list of currentvacancies is available on the RCPCH websiteon the RCPCH nominations page, and on theflyer circulated with this newsletter.

At the time of writing this column we arebusy preparing for our SASG information dayat the end of November. I will be able to tellyou more about this next time.

Dr Natalie LythCHAIR OF THE RCPCH SASG COMMITTEE

This title will either make you yawn or hitthe wall in frustration. However I do believethat the information elephant is on the moveand that finally clinicians have a voice.

The RCPCH Health Informatics committeeof which I am Chair exists both in reality andas an email discussion. Its members representthe College on national committeesinfluencing Connecting for Health. TheCommittee has cross representation with otherorganisations such as the BACCH InformaticsGroup and acts as a coordinator forinformation knowledge to enter the College.

Lord Darzi’s report whilst re-establishingquality as the vision for the NHS has the constanttheme of information which he sees will enableproviders of care, patient and public to make

choices, clinicians to improve and managersand researchers to monitor performance.

What does this mean for Child Health?The Child Health Programme [CfH] under theleadership of Dr Roddy McFaul has identifiedinformation requirements based on agreedprocess of care. We are thankful to many ofyou for your important contributions to thisvaluable tool which we will be using toinfluence IT specifications. It also reinforcedthe desperate need for an electronicsummary child health record of which thePCHR is a prototype.

The Academy of Medical Royal Collegeshas approved standards for the structure andcontent of health records, a projectcoordinated by the RCP. RCPCH felt that the

particular requirements for children could beaccommodated within the generic structurebut this needed further development whichwe are taking forward.

I have just been appointed as NationalClinical Lead for Paediatrics and Child Health[CfH] to join 17 other clinicians in Connectingfor Health. A key objective is to ensure thatexisting and future IT systems are fit forpurpose for children.

It is now an opportune time for HealthInformatics to develop a higher profile bothin the College and amongst members. This isa huge task. We are currently creating anRCPCH Health Informatics web section foraccess to information and how to getinvolved. You can also contact me directly:david.low@swbh.nhs.uk and visitwww.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/engagement

Dr David LowCHAIR, RCPCH HEALTH

INFORMATICS COMMITTEE

SASG news

Health Informatics: an update

Managing editor: Graham Sleight

Editor: Joanne Ball

Email: newsletter@rcpch.ac.uk

Editorial services: Chamberlain Dunn Associates

Advertisements: British Medical Journal

Published by the Royal College of Paediatrics andChild Health, 5-11 Theobalds Road, London WC1X 8SH. Tel: 020 7092 6000, Fax: 020 7092 6001 Website: www.rcpch.ac.uk Email: enquiries@rcpch.ac.ukThe College is a registered charity: no. 1057744

© 2008 Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. The views expressed inthis newsletter do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the RCPCH.

RCPCH newsCopy deadline for next issue:

1 February 2009

RCPCHSpring Meeting

200930 March-2 April 2009The RCPCH’s Annual Spring Meeting will again be held at the University of York fromthe end of March 2009.

The Spring Meeting is the College’s main forum for the presentation of basic and clinicalscience, together with updates in clinical practice. It is attended by over 2,000participants, including paediatricians, trainees and those involved in child health.

In 2009 the Academic Board has planned a rejuvenated programme. The meeting willopen on Monday afternoon with a ‘3 x 5 Hot Topics’ CPD session. By popular demand,the plenary sessions will move to mornings on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.There will be more parallel sessions organised jointly between specialty groups, moreposters and a clearly signposted CPD pathway through the week. The Annual Dinnerwill be held on Wednesday evening, with black-tie optional, to encourage Fellows,

Members and guests to attend.

Find more information atwww.rcpch.ac.uk/springmeeting

Trainees

The Trainees’ Committee continuesto work hard on behalf of paediatrictrainees address key issues and toensure that trainees receive thehighest quality of training in the UK.

Workforce Issues We are currently addressing some criticalworkforce issues that have arisen and willdominate the later part of 2008 and 2009.Following the introduction of the EWTD in2004, paediatrics saw a necessary expansionin the number of middle grade posts. Thefallout from this expansion is now a mismatchbetween the number of trainees obtaining CCTand the number of available consultantposts. Paradoxically, we are addressing thesignificant gaps that have arisen in staffing,particularly on middle grade rotas. We havebeen involved in lengthy discussions withsenior members of the College to try andestablish innovative ways in which this crisis canbe alleviated. As the delivery of paediatric careevolves, we foresee a move towards consultant-delivered care, ultimately requiring expansionin consultant numbers and a change in the roleof a new consultant. The report ‘Modellingthe Future II’, available on the RCPCH website(www.rcpch.ac.uk/Policy/ServiceReconfiguration/Modelling-the-Future) examines the optionsavailable to address these issues, and consultedpaediatricians on the best way forward.

Child ProtectionRecently, the news has been dominated by thetragic death of Baby P. Trainees are advisedto be diligent when examining all childrenfor signs of abuse. All trainees should seek

appropriate advice from senior colleagues andthe child protection services in all cases ofchild abuse, and ensure that the necessaryprofessionals are involved and the child isfollowed up. Safeguarding children coursessupported by ALSG are available to trainees, toreceive the appropriate training in this area.In addition, some regions have set up one daymini-pupillages for trainees to gain experiencein court proceedings in cases of child abuse.

National Trainees’ Forum 2009 The RCPCH Spring Meeting 2009 will seethe launch of the National Trainees’ Forum.The National Trainees’ Forum is an opportunityfor Trainees to meet and discuss issues centralto training and the health service. We havealready secured a keynote speaker, and willhave a number of excellent presentations inthis new and exciting forum.

Assessments surveyThe Trainees’ Committee has recentlyreleased an assessments survey. This surveysets out to determine trainees experienceand views of the recent introduction of theassessments process. All trainees shouldhave received a link to the survey online viatheir e-portfolio. We plan to continue to gaintrainee opinion using this method. I wouldencourage all trainees to voice theiropinions so that we can best serve theneeds and problems of paediatric trainees.

Appointment of the New ViceChair of the Trainees’ CommitteeIn the last two months, we have seen theelection of a new President of the United

States and a new Vice Chair to the Trainees’Committee. On behalf of the Trainees’Committee, I would like to congratulate Dr.Rajesh Sharma on his recent appointment. Iam sure 2009 will bring us many importantissues to deal with.

Seats on the Trainees’ CommitteeWe have recently had a number ofregional representatives stand down fromthe Trainees’ Committee as they haveserved their 3 years on the Committee orare approaching CCT. I would like tothank them for their hard work and inputto the Committee. I would like toencourage all trainees around the countryto stand to become a regionalrepresentative on the committee. As arepresentative you would be involved inmany of the key decisions regardingpaediatric training and you would becentral to gathering and disseminating vital information within your region. Places are open to trainees from ST1-8. As a member of the College you shouldreceive a nomination list in the post. Visit the College website atwww.rcpch.ac.uk/nominations todownload nomination forms. Availableseats will be released shortly.

Happy ChristmasOn behalf of the Trainees’ Committee Iwould like to wish you all a very HappyChristmas and all the very best for 2009!

Trainees’ column

Dr Paul Dimitri CHAIR, TRAINEES’ COMMITTEE

pauldimitri@hotmail.com

Page 14

The Project Team would like to convey their very grateful thanks to all neonatal units that responded to the Transport Group’sNeonatal Transport Survey. We appreciate the time given up from your busy work schedules to complete the form. You haveprovided an 80% response which will provide valuable information on which to base further work and inform the Department ofHealth’s Work Stream for neonatal transfers.

Results of the survey will be included in the Project’s final report which will be disseminated early in 2009 to all units.

Clare Litherland PROJECT COORDINATOR

NPSA/RCPCH - Safer Practice in NeonatalCare Project Neonatal Transport Survey

Meetings RCPCH news

UK meetings and courses20097-9 January 2009Children’s Mental HealthVenue: Cardiff University, Heath Park, CardiffContact: Chisako OkadaTel: 02920 744562Email: okadac@cardiff.ac.ukWebsite: www.courses.cardiff.ac.uk/postgraduate/course/detail/840.html

7-8 January 2009Endovascular Eneurysm Repair Planning (ST1-2)Venue: Royal College of Surgeons, LondonContact: Farhana JilaniTel: 020 7869 6328Email: fjilani@rcseng.ac.uk

8-9 January 2009Intermediate Cardiac Surgery (ST3-6)Venue: Evelina Children’s Hospital, LondonContact: Dr Owen MillerEmail: owen.miller@gstt.nhs.uk

8-9 January 2009Foundation Course in Paediatric EchocardiographyVenue: Royal College of Surgeons, London Contact: Farhana JilaniTel: 020 7869 6328Email: fjilani@rcseng.ac.uk

11-12 January 2009Intermediate Obstetric Ultrasound (Theroy & Practical)Venue: Addenbrooke’s Hospital, CambridgeContact: Mrs Julie GrahamTelephone: 01223 274419Email: jlg37@medschl.cam.ac.ukWebsite: www.addenbrookes-pgmc.org.uk

12 January 2009The First UK Paediatric NeuropsychologySymposium - Part 1: Development of sensory,motor and cognitive neural systemsVenue: The Institute of Child Health, LondonContact: Kathryn GrestyTelephone: 020 7905 2135Email: k.gresty@ich.ucl.ac.uk

12 January 2009Basic Obstetric Ultrasound (Theroy)Venue: Addenbrooke’s Hospital, CambridgeContact: Mrs Julie GrahamTel: 01223 274419Email: jlg37@medschl.cam.ac.ukWebsite: www.addenbrookes-pgmc.org.uk

12-14 January 200919th Annual Course in PaediatricGastroenterology and IBD/EndoscopyVenue: The Atrium, Royal Free Hospital, LondonContact: Mrs Rivka PersoffTel: 020 7830 2779Email: r.persoff@medsch.ucl.ac.uk

12-13 January 2009Speciality Skills in Vascular Surgery (ST1-2)Venue: Royal College of Surgeons, LondonContact: Farhana JilaniTel: 020 7869 6328Email: fjilani@rcseng.ac.uk

13-16 January 2009Basic Obstetric Ultrasound (Practical)Venue: Addenbrooke’s Hospital, CambridgeContact: Mrs Julie GrahamTel: 01223 274419Email: jlg37@medschl.cam.ac.ukWebsite: www.addenbrookes-pgmc.org.uk

15-16 January 2009Operative Skills in Neonatal and PaediatricSurgery (Formerly known as ‘Core Skills inPaediatric Surgery’)Venue: The Royal College of Surgeons ofEngland, LondonTelephone: 020 7869 6331/6332Email: paediatric@rcseng.ac.ukWebsite: www.rcseng.ac.uk/education/courses/specialty/paedcourses.html

19 January 2009The First UK Paediatric NeuropsychologySymposium - Part 2: Developmental disordersand neuropsychological profilesVenue: The Institute of Child Health, LondonContact: Cristina LaiTel: 020 7829 8692Email: cristina@ichevents.comWebsite: www.ich.ucl.ac.uk/education/short_courses/courses/2S44

19 January 2009British Society for Paediatric and AdolescentGynaecology Training Day- JointRCOG/BritSPAG MeetingVenue: RCOG, LondonTel: 020 7772 6245Email: conference@rcog.org.ukWebsite: www.rcog.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=101&ConferenceID=370

19-20 January 2009 Paediatric Clinical Trials conferenceVenue: Copthorne Tara Hotel, LondonContact: Charlotte JohnsonTelephone: 0870 9090 711Email: cjohnson@smi-online.co.ukWebsite: www.smi-online.co.uk/09paediatric1.asp

20 January 2009British Society for Paediatric and AdolescentGynaecology Annual MeetingVenue: Nuffield Hall, RCOG,LondonContact: Carol NortheyTelephone: 07939 855851Email: cnorthey@blueyonder.co.ukWebsite: www.britspag.org

20-22 January 2009Advanced Paediatric Intensive Care Simulation(APICS) CourseVenue: Bristol Medical Simulation Centre, BristolContact: James Fraser/ David GrantTelephone: 0117 342 8843 Email: James.Fraser@UHBristol.nhs.ukDavid.Grant@UHBristol.nhs.uk

21 January 20095th Northwest Neonatal Study DayVenue: The Ramada Jarvis Hotel, BoltonContact: Amanda GrahamTelephone: 01438 730883Email: amanda@cfsevents.co.uk

22 January 2009 Advanced and Outcomes in NeonatologyVenue: UBHT Education Centre, BristolContact: Joyce AchampongTel: 020 7290 2980Email: egions@rsm.ac.ukWebsite: www.rsm.ac.uk/diary

22 January 2009 Neonatal OpthalmologyVenue: Addenbrooke’s Hospital, CambridgeContact: Mrs Julie GrahamTel: 01223 274419Email: jlg37@medschl.cam.ac.ukWebsite: www.addenbrookes-pgmc.org.uk

Worldwide meetings and courses20096-9 February 2009World Forum of PaediatricsBasic Science & Clinical ManagementVenue: Dubai, United Arab EmiratesTelephone: 7-495 735 1414 (Russia)Email: Abstracts congress2009@mail.ru Registration, Accommodation & ToursWebsite: www.wipoped.org

Forthcoming Events

Page 15

22-23 January 2009Paediatric and Adolescent Obesity Course forPaediatriciansVenue: RCPCH Office, LondonContact: Aaron BarhamTel: 020 7092 6105 Email: aaron.barham@rcpch.ac.ukWebsite: www.rcpch.ac.uk