To critically appraise and synthesis the current evidence related to Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) in the children and young people's healthcare setting.. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Our work on prevention is a vital part of our advocacy with policy makers and politicians. In this article Max Davie writes about our response to the green paper on prevention, and why focusing on the early years is so important for children and young people.
Access to better housing, healthcare and employment opportunities are at the core of a new multi-million pound settlement to improve the life chances of vulnerable young people leaving care.
The report makes recommendations to address and reduce childhood obesity. These aim to change behaviours and norms, building on existing commitments, and range from extending the Soft Drinks Industry Levy to sweetened milk-based drinks to improving air quality and safety in our built environment in order to create opportunities for children to be active and healthy.
Open access. Although breastfeeding is touted as providing many health benefits to infants, some aspects of this relationship remain poorly understood.
Open access. From birth, children living in disadvantaged socioeconomic circumstances (SECs) suffer from worse health than their more advantaged peers. The pathways through which SECs influence children’s health are complex and inter-related, but in general are driven by differences in the distribution of power and resources that determine the economic, material and psychosocial conditions in which children grow up. A better understanding of why children from more disadvantaged backgrounds have worse health and how interventions work, for whom and in what contexts, will help to reduce these unfair differences. Macro-level change is also required, including the reduction of child poverty through improved social security systems and employment opportunities, and continued investment in high-quality and accessible services (eg, childcare, key workers, children’s centres and healthy school environments). Child health professionals can play a crucial role by being mindful of the social determinants of health in their daily practice, and through advocating for more equitable and child-focussed resource allocation.
Open access. The sudden and unexpected death of an infant or child is devastating. An inability to explain why an infant or child died is difficult to accept for both families and professionals. No reliable national dataset exists to estimate precisely how many infants and children die unexpectedly each year in England. This lack of accurate epidemiological data belies the scale of this public health problem. Detailed controlled observational studies of infant deaths identifying risk factors and providing evidence-based advice for parents has seen a dramatic reduction in incidence over the last 30 years by almost 80% but greater knowledge is needed if future deaths of infants and older children are to be prevented and families optimally supported. We propose that a national registry of sudden unexpected deaths in infancy and childhood would accurately determine incidence, identify unknown risk factors and highlight good care practices, ensuring these can be standardised nationally. For such a project to be successful, however, parents must be at the heart of it. We held a consultation day between families, professionals and supporting charities (The Lullaby Trust, Child Bereavement UK, SUDC UK and CRY) to seek opinion on the desire for a registry and how best to ensure families are engaged. Here, we summarise our rationale for a registry and the feedback we received from attendees regarding their views of the proposal and the practical aspects of administering it.
The Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT) has launched a report Occupational therapy: Unlocking the potential of children and young people which outlines the role that occupational therapists play in improving the lives of children and young people with physical, learning and mental health needs.
This House of Commons Library briefing paper considers what help is available for grandparents and other family and friends carers (also known as kinship carers) looking after children where their parents are not in a position to do so.
The RCPCH welcomes the CMO's updated physical activity guidelines and says "the key to longevity and success is embedding healthy habits into life early and making them part of a routine".
We have responded to the publication by Public Health England (PHE) of its second year report on progress by the food industry to reduce sugar in ‘everyday’ foods.
Families will get ideas on how to use everyday opportunities, like going to the shops and playing make-believe games, as part of a relentless society-wide effort to improve the early literacy and language skills in the years before children start school.
The action plan:
outlines a range of new measures to strengthen the role of sport within a young person’s daily routine
explains how teachers and parents can play their part
promotes a joined-up approach to physical activity and mental wellbeing
The action plan will be of interest to schools, teachers, parents and the sport sector.
The measure forms part of a range of recommendations made by RCPCH as part of our ambitious “Prevention Vision”. The amount of free sugar in baby food should be reduced and the Government should place a “moratorium” on public health funding cuts, according to bold recommendations outlined today by leading child health experts.
Evidence shows that children and young people who are more active have more confidence, higher self-esteem, less anxiety and stress and better social skills – attributes that can help them deal with the challenges they face in daily life. Positive attitudes towards physical activity have also been associated with children being happier.
According to figures published today by the Office for National Statistics, infant mortality rates in England and Wales have risen for the third year running. RCPCH responds.
Open access. In response to multiple United Kingdom investigations and inquiries into the care of adults with learning disabilities, Mencap produced the Getting it Right Charter which campaigned for the appointment of a Learning Disability Liaison Nurse in every hospital. More recent best practice guidelines from the Care Quality Commission included the need for all children’s units to have access to a senior learning disability nurse who can support staff and help them manage difficult situations. However, little evidence exists of the extent of learning disability nurse provision in children’s hospitals or the nature and impact of this role. Here we report selected findings from a national mixed methods study of hospital care for children and young people with and without learning disabilities in England.
Recently, in adults, the incidence and severity of fatigue was found to exist rather independently from the somatic diagnosis. Since fatigue is distressing when growing up with a chronic disease, we aim to investigate: (1) the prevalence and extent of fatigue among various paediatric chronic diseases and (2) the effect of fatigue on health-related quality of life (HRQoL).. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Open access. To assess the prevalence of different trajectories of exposure to child poverty and their association with three indicators of adolescent physical and mental health in UK children.
Lucy Powell, a former Shadow Education Secretary, asked an urgent question on the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report on Sure Start.
Rolled out in 1999 and reaching its funding peak in 2010, Sure Start centres provide early years support for families, providing information and support on health, employment, education and childcare. Initially targeting disadvantaged areas, the policy was expanded in the 2004 10-year Strategy for Childcare, and aimed for ‘a children’s centre in every community’.
To estimate the incidence of laboratory-confirmed, invasive bacterial infections (IBIs) by week of age in infants over a 7-year period.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Conclusion- Medication adherence was reduced during school holidays and on weekends in children with T1D. Clinical characteristics including socioeconomic status and the presence of adverse effects did not predict adherence.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
The UK has one of the highest child mortality rates in Western Europe: 4 in every 1000 children die before the age of 1 year, compared with 2 per 1000 children in Sweden. Likewise, the mortality rate of children aged 1–14 years in the UK is 10.4/100 000 children compared with 8.3/100 000 in Sweden.1 Since the UK has a universal healthcare system, and comparable levels of per capita incometo Sweden, a substantial proportion of deaths in children in the UK are likely to be preventable. This raises the question of what policies we should prioritise in order to lower child mortality rates in the UK most rapidly.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Whether prenatal or postnatal exposure to antibiotics is associated with an increased risk of coeliac disease (CD) is unclear. We systematically reviewed studies on the association between early life antibiotic exposure and the risk of CD or CD autoimmunity.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
To explore the barriers to and facilitators of physical activity for young people with cerebral palsy in specialist schools.. To read the full article, log in using your NHS Athens details. To access full-text: click “Log in/Register” (top right hand side). Click ‘Institutional Login’ then select 'OpenAthens Federation', then ‘NHS England’. Enter your Athens details to view the article.
For over twenty years there have been papers highlighting the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The use in children is increasing across the world and estimated at between 10% and 89%. There is a wide belief they are safe. We know that doctors do not routinely ask parents about use in clinics and we also know that parents don’t want to inform doctors as they don’t think that the doctor will know about the particular CAM or indeed be interested. Farrington et al. [Acta Paediatr 2019;108: 419–422. doi:10.1111/apa.14595] present a simple collection …. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
Free access. Paediatric health providers and educators influence infant mortality through advocacy and training within families and communities. This research sought to establish the efficacy and training of two-finger versus two-thumb-encircling techniques for lone responder infant chest compressions with ventilations in initially trained infant caregivers.
Editorial. Sudden out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with unsuccessful cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is the third leading cause of death in industrialised nations. Up to 70% of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests are witnessed by family members, friends and other bystanders. A greater percentage of cardiac arrests in infants are likely to involve first responders who are the child’s family members or other close caregivers. There is considerable rescuer variation in compression treatment styles, as shown in figure 1.1 When compared with adults, relatively few CPR data exist regarding treatment of children during cardiac arrest. As a result, internationally agreed CPR guidelines have been developed with data often extrapolated from adults or animal studies.2. To read the full article, log in using your NHS OpenAthens details.
This letter sets out:
how much funding local authorities are getting as part of the children’s social care strengthening families protecting children (SFPC) programme
the purpose of the children’s social care strengthening families protecting children programme
Our first version is now ready for stress testing by a select group of parents and families from our charity partner, WellChild. If you're joining us at RCPCH Conference and exhibition on 13-15 May, come to our stand for a sneak preview!
Open access. The prevalence of asthma and obesity have increased over the last decades. A possible association between these two chronic illnesses has been suggested, since the prevalence of asthmatic symptoms rises with increasing Body Mass Index (BMI). However, asthma is only one of several possible causes of shortness of breath in obese children. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of overtreatment with asthma medication in a cohort overweight/obese children with respiratory symptoms visiting a pediatric outpatient clinic.
The media reports may give the impression that this study refutes previous thinking that social media use can have a detrimental effect of wellbeing. In fact the findings don't seem to be so clear cut.
The study found that social media use is linked with reduced life satisfaction, while less social media use is linked with greater life satisfaction. But the links were very small and may not be significant.
The study has a number of limitations.
The UK's Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) does not set time limits for different age groups because there's a lack of evidence.
They recommend that parents should approach the issue on a case by case basis, rather than trying to use a "one-size-fits-all" approach.
To understand the case mix of three different paediatric services, reasons for using an acute paediatric service in a region of developing integrated care and where acute attendances could alternatively have been managed.. To read the full article, log in using your MPFT NHS OpenAthens details.
Young Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic children who care for ill or disabled relatives are more likely than other young carers to be isolated from support services, a Barnardo’s report published today reveals.
This report outlines steps that Government departments and other agencies should take to improve transitions for young people. However, no single Government department or agency can take on this challenge by working alone. A solution to addressing multiple disadvantage in young people’s lives will require a co-ordinated response.