QI at RCPCH Conference
Our annual conference offers an opportunity to share, reflect and learn from each other. Its Quality Improvement and Safety session features keynote speakers on topics such as Ryan's Rule in Australia, and selected oral presentations from clinicians sharing their hard work to improve services in a wide range of ways.
ePosters
We published ePosters about QI and patient safety from the conferences in 2024 and 2025 on this website. You can search by year or topic to find content that might help you think about your service’s work as well as how to present.
RCPCH Conference 2026 in Birmingham
Working together: Family engagement to prevent and address harm
This interactive workshop explored how paediatric clinicians can better engage with families to prevent harm and respond compassionately when harm occurs. Drawing on real‑world cases and expert insights, we examined communication pitfalls, strategies for empowering families to raise safety concerns, and tools for restorative dialogue after adverse events.
Co‑designed with families affected by healthcare harm, this session offers practical guidance and emotional intelligence to support safer, more transparent care.
Speakers:
- Jonathan Bamber, Head of Quality Improvement, RCPCH
- Ms Rosi Reed, Freelance consultant
- Dr Emma Vittery, Clinical Fellow, RCPCH
- Dr Oliver Rackham, Neonatal Consultant, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
World Patient Safety day goals
Tuesday 12 May, 12:30
This lunchtime session explore the importance of these goals for families and children in a global context. We looked at medication and diagnostic safety, infection and neonatal care.
Speakers:
- Dr Peter Lachman – Director of the PSMF Kiani Global Interprofessional Patient Safety Fellowship
- Mr Nikhil Prakash Gupta – Technical Officer, World Health Organisation (WHO)
- Helen Haskell – Founder & President, Mothers Against Medical Error
- Dr Ronny Cheung – Consultant Paediatrician, Evelina London
- Ellen Duke – Deputy Director, Children & Young People’s Nursing at NHS England
Quality improvement and patient safety: Specialty group session
We heard from the most effective and impactful QI projects taking place across the UK, demonstrating use of appropriate QI methods to achieve sustainable improvement.
The main speaker session was titled The Paradox of QI in Paediatrics and Child Health, taken by Lou Rodrigues, Head of Continuous Improvement at Betsi Cadwaladr UHB.
Young people from RCPCH &Us also presented on their views and perspectives of quality improvement.
Abstracts:
- Visual inspection of the newborn palate improves the early detection of cleft palate in the UK: 10 year impact of the RCPCH Best Practice Guide
- The Power of Puffs: What Changed When We Went Burst – Replacing Nebulisers with MDI in a Children’s ED
- A quality improvement project to optimise prescription of enteral proton pump inhibitors in a tertiary paediatric hospital
- Development & piloting of a Patient Reported Experience Measure (PREM) with children & young people living with HIV in the UK to improve healthcare experience
- Clearing the Air: Reducing Passive Smoking and Air Pollution on Hospital Grounds to Protect Infants and Children
- Embedding Equity: Implementing Practical Strategies for Differential Attainment in Paediatric Training – A Regional Mixed-Methods QIP
Speakers:
- Lou Rodrigues – Head of Continuous Improvement, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
- Professor Sahana Rao – Consultant Paediatrician and Director of Undergraduate Medical Education, Oxford University Hospitals
- Jonathan Bamber – Head of Quality Improvement, RCPCH
Look back at RCPCH Conference 2025 in Glasgow
Head of QI at RCPCH, Jonathan Bamber, shares the what, why, and how of quality improvement across the College, plus the ongoing offers, resources, and plans for the future.
Keynote speaker Dr Peter Lachman gives a comprehensive overview about inspiring a culture of patient safety.
Professor Nitin Kapur gives his keynote sharing learnings from Ryan’s Rule in Australia, and reflects on considerations as units in the UK roll out Martha’s Rule. Read more in his blog piece for the Safety eBulletin.
Dr Sonia Joseph and Tim Shearman share updates on their innovative patient safety programme in NHS Scotland.
Dr Salima Yasmin shares her excellent improvement work showcased in the Pecha Kucha session of the Conference.
Speakers from the Annual Conference Quality Improvement & Patient Safety session
One and Done! by Mervat Elyas
Cardiology clinical for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy by Vera Stankovikj
Training to accept PAU Referrals, by Dr Sachin Unny
Human Factors Approach to Improving the Preassessment Anaesthetic Passport Tool, by Amy Docherty
Criteria-Led Discharge, by Dr Andrew Dore
As a key measurement of quality, patient safety was a strong theme at this conference. Read this blog written reflecting on conference 2025 which highlights learnings on patient safety, quality improvement and culture change, including key resources for those working to deliver safer, higher-quality care for children and young people.