Doctors launch ‘game-changing’ new e-learning tool to help identify muscle degenerative disorders

The lives of thousands of children who suffer debilitating muscle degenerative disorders could be dramatically enhanced as doctors launch a new tool that opens the door to treatment before conditions fully take hold.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), in partnership with the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre in Newcastle and the Great North Children’s Hospital, has developed an e-learning tool which aims to help healthcare professionals identify the early signs of muscle disease.

The new e-learning resource aims to equip health professionals with the information to identify conditions such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy and Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the earliest opportunity. This will in turn, allow treatment to begin much earlier which not only has the potential to enhance mobility and prolong life but will also allow family members to be tested to assess the risk of the condition being passed on to future generations.

In the UK, more than 70,000 people have Muscular Dystrophy or a related condition. Doctors say this new resource, aimed at health visitors, GPs, nurses and physiotherapists will void the gap of knowledge that currently exists and will finally enable awareness to catch up with the science.

With this early identification, they hope that more children can take advantage of the revolutionary new drugs on offer which have the potential to greatly enhance muscle strength, improve quality of life and survival. Currently, science is well ahead of awareness so this new tool could be a game changer for patient outcomes.

Go to RCPCH website to find out more

Go to RCPCH Compass Online Learning Tool - learn the signs and help improve the quality of a child’s life today

The e-learning, which is aimed at healthcare professionals such as nurses, GPs and physiotherapists, comprises clear and easily understandable video footage of normal and abnormal development and provides clear action points at five key stages of motor development that will give the user confidence in knowing how to identify a child at risk and what to do next.

Fragmented approach to child health damaging long term health of nation warns Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH)

Child health is suffering at the hands of a disjointed approach from central Government is the warning from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) as it publishes its “State of Child Health: One year on” scorecard today.

The scorecards for England, Scotland and Wales describe progress against the series of recommendations made a year ago in the RCPCH’s landmark State of Child Health report.

The England scorecard reveals progress in some areas including the launch of a Digital Child Health Strategy, the publication of a new Tobacco Control Plan, the initiation of some specialist service reviews in paediatrics and the implementation of the sugar tax. However, there has been no improvement in several fundamental areas, including:

No plans for an overarching child health strategy
No junk food advertising ban
No way of measuring UK breastfeeding prevalence
No increased investment in child health research

The greatest areas for concern are the deepening public health cuts which have worsened in the last year and are disproportionately affecting children’s services. The scorecard marks this ‘black’, quoting latest statistics that show public health spending is over 5% lower in 2017/18 compared with 2013/14.

Professor Neena Modi, President of the RCPCH, said:

“The science exists for all to see; invest in the health of children and make a huge difference to their health in later life and hence to their economic productivity. For example, four-fifths of obese children will remain obese as adults and this will result in them losing between 10-20 years of healthy life. That’s a very frightening statistic and something that Government must get to grips with. It’s no wonder the NHS is burgeoning under the weight of ill health. This is time for a long vision for the sake of the nation’s wellbeing and prosperity yet the focus remains short-term and ineffective.”

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE Executive Director of the iHV said:

“Sadly the scorecard results are not a surprise, the Institute is repeatedly warning that cutting public health budgets is a false economy and will impact, not only on children now, but also on future generations and the fiscal spend. In particular the reduction in health visiting numbers we are seeing following such a very short lived, but exciting growth up until 2015, means that according to our own survey many children are not being seen by a health visitor at all after the 6-8 week contact. There is a research base clearly demonstrating why prevention matters and its very encouraging to see other countries responding to this by investing in child and family health. The Institute hopes that England’s ministers respond to the report by reinvesting into public health and particularly the early years and poverty reduction.”

The scorecards reveal that the Scottish and Welsh Governments are making greater strides in enacting policies to improve child health. For example, in Scotland there has been:

The passing of the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act with defined poverty reduction targets
A new Mental Health Strategy including a commitment to improve transition to adult services
An announcement of plans to expand the number of health visitors by an additional 500 by the end of 2018 through the full roll-out of the Family Nurse Partnership programme
A commitment from Scottish Government to ensure specialist breastfeeding advice and support is delivered to women

And in Wales:

The Public Health (Wales) Act has been enacted which includes extending bans on smoking in public places to school grounds, playgrounds and NHS grounds.
A new state of the art facility in Cardiff has opened to expand capacity for child health research

Professor Russell Viner, RCPCH Officer for Health Promotion, said:

“Child health isn’t being given the political attention it deserves in Westminster, which is disappointing given the real commitments from the Scottish and Welsh Governments. While policies such as the soft drinks industry levy and new tobacco control plan are to be applauded, the approach is piecemeal.

“Getting it right in childhood means setting up future generation for a lifetime of better health. Investing in children is an investment in the entire population.”

The RCPCH is calling for each national government to commit to a ‘child health in all policies’ approach, meaning that whenever legislation is passed, the impact on child health must be considered. The RCPCH also wants to see a cross-party committee established to develop a child health strategy.

Professor Modi added:

“We need parity of esteem between acute and preventive healthcare. It is no good only throwing money at treating established problems; there must be far better investment in prevention, which will reap immeasurable long term benefits. This means much bolder public health policies and a reversal of the current destructive cuts to preventive services.”

View the full report and summary here.

iHV supports RCPCH breastfeeding position statement

The Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) fully supports the new recommendations on supporting breastfeeding mothers published today by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), during World Breastfeeding Week (#WBW17). The new RCPCH recommendations show that social stigma is a major barrier to breastfeeding and more must be done to support women to continue to breastfeed beyond the first few weeks.

The new guidance, based on the latest research, aims to give practical advice on how long women should consider breastfeeding and makes the case for the health benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child, as well as the cost savings to families and health services.

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, executive director of the Institute of Health Visiting, said:

“We warmly welcome this new guidance from RCPCH on supporting women to continue breastfeeding beyond the first few weeks. Breastfeeding is natural, but not all mums find it easy, and some mums cannot or choose not to do it, so we must respect that too. Mums often need support, and health visitors are one of the key healthcare professionals to help mothers establish breastfeeding through the universal health visiting service, but there is a need to educate the wider public and change the attitude and culture of society around it.”

The RCPCH recommendations include:

Governments in each nation to ensure familiarity with breastfeeding is included as part of statutory personal, social and health education in schools;
UK Government to legislate for employers to support breastfeeding through parental leave, feeding breaks and facilities suitable for breastfeeding or expressing breast milk;
Local breastfeeding support to be planned and delivered to mothers in the form of evaluated, structured programmes;
The NHS to ensure the preservation of universal midwifery services;
UK Governments to commit to adequate resourcing to preserve universal health visiting services;
Public Health England to develop a national strategy to change negative societal attitudes to breastfeeding;
Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland Governments to review and evaluate their existing breastfeeding promotion plans;
The NHS in England and the Welsh Government to follow the lead of the Scottish Government and the NHS in Northern Ireland by requiring all maternity services to achieve and maintain UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative accreditation; this requirement is currently met by all maternity units in Scotland and Northern Ireland;
UK Government to reinstate the UK-wide Infant Feeding Survey, which was cancelled in 2015, to ensure reliable, comparable data on breastfeeding is recorded across the four nations;
All healthcare professionals should be aware of local and national support for breastfeeding mothers.

Dr Adams added:

“We at the iHV will be working with the RCPCH to support their campaign to improve breastfeeding in the UK to help women to continue breastfeeding beyond the first few weeks and help change societal attitudes by educating the wider public.”

RCPCH – Stroke in Childhood: Clinical guideline

Stroke in Childhood: Clinical guideline for diagnosis, management and rehabilitation (2017)

Stroke in Childhood 2017 is a nationally developed evidence-based clinical guideline for all UK paediatricians and healthcare professionals involved in the regulation or practice of the care of children and young people who have had or are suspected of having a stroke.

Funded by the Stroke Association, the clinical guideline was prepared by the Royal College of Paediatric and Child Health’s (RCPCH) multi-professional Stroke in Childhood Guideline Development Group (GDG).

The clinical guideline is accompanied by a parent guideline, which aims to ensure that families understand what a stroke is, why they occur, and how children and young people affected by stroke should be treated and cared for.

Go to RCPCH Stroke in Childhood Guidelines

BMJ launches new open access paediatrics journal

British Medical Journal (BMJ) will be launching a new journal, BMJ Paediatrics Open, which will be dedicated to publishing original research, clinical reviews, and protocols that deal with every aspect of child health. It particularly welcomes research in the neglected diseases that disproportionately affect children in low and middle income countries.

BMJ Paediatrics Open is an open access journal and is an official journal of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH). The provision of child health is multidisciplinary and international.

The journal welcomes papers from all health care professions from anywhere in the world. Papers dealing with paediatric specialties, paediatric surgery, public health, or healthcare provision will all be accepted.

Go to BMJ Paediatrics Open

New guidelines: Stroke in Childhood

Healthcare professionals, parents and young people are being urged to familiarise themselves with the signs of childhood stroke to help prevent potentially devastating effects, as a new clinical guideline from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and the Stroke Association launches today.

Around 400 children in the UK have a stroke every year, leaving many with severe physical and mental impairments. Experts say that with better knowledge of the signs of childhood stroke amongst doctors and parents, and with clear guidelines in place for effective rehabilitation, children should receive diagnosis and appropriate treatment more quickly, minimising the risk of severe long-term health problems.

The extensive guidelines are the first to be truly multidisciplinary – and should be a useful tool for a range of professionals including therapists, psychologists, ambulance staff as well as those working in education.

The guidelines include signs for spotting strokes in children:

Most children experiencing a stroke will have similar difficulties to those observed in adults suffering from strokes, specifically weakness of the face, one side of the body and difficulty with speech. These signs have been highlighted as part of the ‘FAST’ campaign for recognising stroke in adults but apply at all ages.
Less commonly, childhood strokes may present with seizures or fits affecting one part of the body or, rarely, a new onset sudden severe headache.
Many children affected by stroke will have non-specific signs of illness, such as a decrease in conscious level or vomiting.

The clinical guideline also includes details of what tests should be performed, how to diagnose and treat stroke and prevent recurrences. The entire rehabilitation pathway, from the initial period in hospital, through to going back home and to school and important periods of childhood transition, are covered in the guidelines.

The parent/carer guideline is a lay version of the guideline which provides information to parents, carers, and families of children and young people affected by stroke. The information is based on detailed clinical guidelines produced for healthcare professionals who are involved in the care of children and young people affected by stroke.

For more information and links for clinical and parent guidelines

iHV supports call for next UK Government to take urgent action on poverty

The iHV welcomes and supports the call from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and Children Poverty Action Group (CPAG) on the next UK Government to take urgent action on poverty to ensure a healthier future for the UK’s infants, children and young people.

Poverty and low income is seriously affecting the health of UK children according to paediatricians – and any new Government must tackle health inequalities or risk storing up health problems for future generations. That’s according to a new report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) launched today.

The report “Poverty and child health: views from the frontline” is based on a survey of more than 250 paediatricians across the country, whose comments provide an insight into the grave reality of life for the millions of UK children living in poverty.

Latest figures show that 30% (4 million) children in the UK live in poverty – with projections suggesting this could rise to 5 million by the end of the decade.

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, executive director, iHV, commented:

“The iHV welcomes and supports the call from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and Children Poverty Action Group (CPAG) on the next UK Government to take urgent action on poverty to ensure a healthier future for the UK’s infants, children and young people.

We particularly welcome the call to reverse public health cuts to ensure universal early years services, including health visiting and school nursing, are prioritised and supported financially, with additional targeted help for children and families experiencing poverty. The recent reduction in health visitor numbers impacts the vital support that babies, young children and families need at such a critical time in their lives – we want to ensure that every child has the best start in life.”

The report looks at a number of areas including food insecurity, poor housing and worry, stress and stigma – and their effect on the health of children. It reveals that:

More than two-thirds of paediatricians surveyed said poverty and low income contribute ‘very much’ to the ill health of children they work with
Housing problems or homelessness were a concern for two thirds of respondents.
More than 60% said food insecurity contributed to the ill health amongst children they treat 3
40% had difficulty discharging a child in the last 6 months because of concerns about housing or food insecurity
More than 50% of respondents said that financial stress and worry contribute ‘very much’ to the ill health of children they work with

The RCPCH and CPAG are calling on whoever forms the next Government to tackle poverty urgently through:

The restoration of binding national targets to reduce child poverty, backed by a national child poverty strategy.
The adoption of a ‘child health in all policies’ approach to decision making and policy development, with Her Majesty’s Treasury disclosing information about the impact of the Chancellor’s annual budget statement on child poverty and inequality.
The reversal of public health cuts to ensure universal early years services, including health visiting and school nursing, are prioritised and supported financially, with additional targeted help for children and families experiencing poverty.
The reversal of cuts to universal credit which will leave the majority of families claiming this benefit worse off.

Download full report (PDF, 1.1 MB) or read summary here.

iHV shares RCPCH’s concerns on workforce shortage

The iHV shares the concerns of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) that children’s health services are being put at risk by a serious shortage of paediatricians.

Gaps in paediatric rotas, uncertainty over the status of non-UK nationals working in the NHS, poorly co-ordinated planning, and a demoralised workforce, are putting increasing pressure on child health services and placing quality of care in jeopardy, according to a new report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).

It shows that demand for children’s healthcare is increasing, with the number of hospital admissions for children in England rising by 25% between 2013/14 and 2015/16, from 1.2million to 1.5million and attendances by children at Accident and Emergency Departments growing by 7%, from 4.5 million to 4.8 million over the same period.

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, executive director, iHV, said:

“The iHV shares the concerns of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) that children’s health services are being put at risk by a serious shortage of paediatricians. This situation, coupled with the reducing numbers of health visitors, will have a drastic impact on the health and wellbeing of babies, children and families. A health visitor’s role is to help parents to manage minor illnesses and reduce accidents within the home and so reduce the numbers of babies and children needing to go to hospital. But the reducing health visitor numbers will put a greater demand on reducing paediatric services, which will have economic consequences for the future, particularly on the already cash-strapped NHS.”

The RCPCH Report “The State of Child Health: The Paediatric Workforce” is based on data from the RCPCH Workforce Census 2015, with additional data from the Office of National Statistics, and RCPCH trainee recruitment processes.

Read full RCPCH press release

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health confirmed as new keynote session

The iHV is delighted to announce the new keynote session for its evidence-based practice conference (taking place on 7 March) is the recently published State of Child Health Report 2017 from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).

This landmark report into the State of Child Health calls for Government to introduce a comprehensive, national, child health and wellbeing strategy, reverse cuts to public health, and tighten controls over smoking, the sale of alcohol and advertising of foods high in fat, salt and sugar.

Join us on 7 March at our conference for this fantastic opportunity to listen as one of the report’s key clinical advisers presents the report and its findings, and then ask questions on the report during the panel discussion.

‘Mastering evidence-based practice in health visiting‘ takes place in Birmingham – it is a high quality practice-focused conference with a range of masterclasses for all health visitors. Perfect for experienced health visitors, newly qualified health visitors, health visitor practice teachers, student health visitors, team leaders and managers – all conference delegates will receive 5 CPD points.

Updated programme details are now available with keynote speaker plus experts, masterclasses and peer-to-peer networking opportunities.

Date: Tuesday, 7 March 2017
Time: 09:30 – 16:00
Venue: Conference Aston, Birmingham

Conference fees:
Delegate places are available to book now – including members’ discount

iHV Members: £125
iHV Non-Members: £155

All fees include full attendance at the conference pus all refreshments, lunch and delegate materials. They also include VAT at the current rate of 20%.

Last few places available – so hurry – book your place now to gain your 5 CPD points

Four ways to book – choose the easiest way for you:

Download and return the completed registration form to: Profile Productions Ltd, Boston House, 69 – 75 Boston Manor Road, Brentford, Middlesex TW8 9JJ
Book online
Call: 020 3725 5840

Email direct to: [email protected]

iHV welcomes findings of RCPCH State of Child Health report

The Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) welcomes the findings of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) landmark report into the State of Child Health which calls for Government to introduce a comprehensive, national, child health and wellbeing strategy, reverse cuts to public health, and tighten controls over smoking, the sale of alcohol and advertising of foods high in fat, salt and sugar.

According to the report, a lack of strategic national focus and persistence of a wide gap between rich and poor in the UK is damaging the health of the nation’s infants, children and young people. Compiled by child health experts, with input from children and young people themselves, the report provides clear recommendations to improve child health.

Dr Cheryll Adams CBE, executive director of the iHV, said:

“The Institute of Health Visiting welcomes the findings of the report and fully supports all its recommendations. The snapshot of children’s health in the UK captured in this State of Child Health report is very worrying and upsetting. As a nation, we can’t afford to not invest in our children as they are our future, yet recently their needs seem to have become invisible against the many competing demands being made on government and the NHS. We know so much today with respect to what can influence children’s outcomes across their life course, and in turn benefit the whole country. It’s time to act, to help ensure the best health outcomes for all UK children today, and in the future, by giving them the best start in life. As an absolute priority and first step, the cuts to public health budgets must be stopped.”

The State of Child Health report brings together data for the first time on a comprehensive list of 25 measures of the health of UK children, ranging from specific conditions such as asthma, diabetes and epilepsy, risk factors for poor health such as obesity and a low rate of breastfeeding, to child deaths. The data provide an “across the board” snapshot of child health and wellbeing in the UK.

Nearly one in five children in the UK is living in poverty and inequality is blighting their lives, with those from the most deprived backgrounds experiencing much worse health compared with the most affluent. Despite some improvements in the health of UK children over the last decades, there is clear disparity with Europe and other developed countries, and major cause for concern.

Dr Adams added:

“We at the iHV will be working with the RCPCH to support their campaign to ensure child health becomes a key political priority, as only then will the prime minister’s aspirations for reducing inequalities become a reality.”

State of Child Health report:

Available on Thursday 26 January – www.rcpch.ac.uk/state-of-child-health

Read RCPCH press release