ABPN Newsletter February 2023

Words from the Chair

As a new year begins, I wish you all a good year and I hope that it is better than last year.

However, things remain tough for children and families. I found it especially sobering to read the National Child Mortality Database Programme Thematic Report: Sudden and Unexpected Deaths in Infancy and Childhood 2019 – 2021 (Dec 2022). The report shows that while there had been a dip in child mortality in England between 2019 – 2022, deaths from trauma and sudden infant deaths has increased. The dip was said to be due to a reduced mortality from infectious disease processes.

In a follow up paper in the Guardian there was a quoted 32% increase in trauma deaths and a 13% increase in sudden infant deaths. The report showed that SUDCs are still highest in deprived neighbourhoods with other influencing factors such as sleeping arrangements. The report also found that in unexpected deaths in children between 1 and 17 there was a high incidence of a family history of convulsions.

I felt more optimistic reading the Report’s many recommendations such as ‘considering the use of validated Safer Sleep Assessment Tools to identify families with infants at higher risk of SIDS (Recommendation 4), offering evidence and incentive based smoking cessation programmes to people considering pregnancy or who are pregnant (Recommendation 10) and utilising the NHS CORE20PLUS5 initiative (detailed further in the newsletter) to reducing health. I am encouraged that the Report was discussed at a Parliamentary Debate, the first time this issue has been formally discussed in Westminster by Members of Parliament.

I’d like to draw your attention to the many resources in the ‘Update on policies, guidelines and reports’ section of this newsletter. Many of these examine the link between poor health outcomes and deprivation.

I am leaving you with two questions.

• How would you like to see your Association advocate for children, young people, and their families and their nurses in the future?
• How would you like to help us to do that?

Caron Eyre caroneyre0@gmail.com

85th Anniversary Tea Party

Plans for our celebration being held on 27th April are going well. Thank you for getting in touch and we look forward to seeing you there. The event begins at 2pm, with the venue available from 1.30 onwards. There will be plenty of opportunities to chat and catch up with colleagues, sharing memories and ideas for the future.

There will be a Bar available from 1.30pm for cold/alcoholic drinks but they only take cards. Tea and coffee will be available as part of the Tea Party.

If you have any photographs or memorabilia you would like to share with others, please do bring them along as we will have a small display area for you to enjoy.

We will also have a Tombola to raise funds for the Association, so any small gifts to use as prizes would be welcome.

We will also have a photographer present on the day, if you would prefer not to be photographed please let us know on arrival so that we can tell him.

There will also be other surprises, but in true ‘party’ form, we will be keeping these under wraps until the day.

Updating the Blue Book

The Blue Book continues to be updated. You can find a copy of the Blue Book on our website http://www.abpn-uk.com/key-documents-policies-and-resources.html

If you have any information you think we should add., then please do let us know. We’re especially interested in updating the section on past officers and conferences. If you can contribute, please contact katrina.mcnamara@icloud.com

Keeping in Touch

Once again we’re reaching out to try and make sure that we’ve got up-to-date contact details for our members. If you are in touch with colleagues who haven’t been receiving our newsletters or emails, please ask them to get in touch with us so we can put this right. They can update their details by either by contacting Membership Secretary membersabpn@yahoo.co.uk or our Secretary katrina.mcnamara@icloud.com

Editorial: Odds stack up against children: resolving to be part of the change for children’s health outcomes

An editorial published online on 18th January 2023 in the Journal of Child Health Care reflects on the work of the Association across 85 years, Prof Bernie Carter also examines the way in which poverty is impacting on children’s health. The ABPN is an active advocate in lobbying for change and being part of the fight against health inequalities. Each and everyone of us involved in children’s health care needs to add their own voice; we cannot be silent.

Communications Lead

We are still searching for a Communications Lead to help us increase the profile of the Association, maintain contact with our members and help with social media.

New look for our Newsletter

We hope you like the style and content of our new look Newsletter. Prof Bernie Carter will continue to be the Newsletter Editor. If you have any ideas for content or have any feedback on our new look, please do contact her bernie.carter@edgehill.ac.uk

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Research Integrity at SAGE

SAGE is the company that publishes the Association's journal - Journal of Child Health Care.

SAGE is committed to publishing research that is free from bias, is representative of our diverse readerships and inclusive and sensitive to our communities.

* This includes avoiding so-called 'helicopter' or 'parachute' science (see our SAGE Perspectives blog post). We have introduced some new guidance for authors publishing global research to help with this.

* We’re happy to report that Plain Language Summaries are now an option for authors on SAGE Journals. Further information can be located here.

* SAGE is organizing a Wikipedia edit-a-thon to increase the public profile of women in social and behavioural science who are making academic or social impact. Wikipedia is the 5th most visited website in the world and women are grossly underrepresented on the site. We are hoping that through our collective efforts we can improve entries or create new entries for at least 100. This will take place virtually (with in-person options on Wednesday, March 8, 2023 in Washington DC). If you are interested in contributing names of notable women and femme in your field for inclusion or expansion in Wikipedia, you may nominate folks by letting Lisa Johnstone know names and any relevant background.

Models of Care – which do you prefer?

Norman Long, a long-time member of the Association’s Governance and Development Board, ponders about nursing models and wonders, as the Association enters its 85th year, which model of care you prefer.

Nursing, like life evolves over time and there are now as many models and theories of nursing as there are weeks in a year and nurses, at whatever stage in their career will need to examine, explore, and seek a model to assist the delivery of high quality care.

Whichever model we consider, the child, young person (and their family) should always be central focus and the model should encompass factors and characteristics including socio-economic status, environment, ethnic group, national identity, culture, religion, sexual or gender identity.

From conception to demise, we encounter many ups and downs in our own life journey encounters; these encounters help us to adapt our behaviour, lifestyle, values, beliefs, aspirations and achievements. As nurses we are with children, young people and their families as they encounter their own ups and downs; this is a privilege.

Norman says he prefers Roper, Logan and Tierney’s Activities of Living, originally published in 1980 and Casey’s Partnership Approach, published in 1988. He likes Roper, Logan and Tierney’s model as they created a framework that could be easily adapted, time focused and assist with a problem-solving approach. He likes the way that Casey sought to strengthen family into all care aspects – planning, delivery and evaluation.

So, do you agree with Norman or do you have a favourite model? Take part in our mini survey to let us know your favourite nursing model. https://questionpro.com/t/AUGMaZwbQB

Journal of Child Health: articles, podcasts and more

Apart from great editorials and high quality peer reviewed papers, the Journal of Child Health Care produces great JCHC podcasts, hosted by Associate Editor, Liz King. These podcasts focus on authors talking about their research and the papers published in the journal.

Rare Disease Day Webinar

Organised by KYOWA KIRIN in partnership with the Association of British Paediatric Nurses.

Spotlight on Rare Bone Conditions

Tuesday 28th February 2023 at 16:00-17:00 (GMT)

For full details and to register, please go to the ABPN website and follow the link under the heading Rare Disease Day Webinar

News about the 16th International Family Nursing Conference, 20th-23rd June 2023

Theme: Global Innovations in Family Nursing: Advancing Family Health

Location: Dublin, Ireland

Host: Dublin City University

For more information go to the conference website.

Increased incidence of scarlet fever and invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS) disease

The World Health Organization issued detailed disease outbreak news in December 2022 noting that

‘As of 8 December 2022, at least five Member States in the European Region, reported to WHO an increase in cases of invasive group A streptococcus (iGAS) disease and in some cases also scarlet fever’

This increased incidence has been seen in France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK. Other information can be found in the Clinical Knowledge Summary: Scarlet Fever published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Clinical knowledge summary: Scarlet Fever.

Update on progress with embedding children's rights in Scotland

In November 2022 , the Minister for Children and Young People issued a standalone Position Statement that sets out the progress, since 2016, made in relation to embedding of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in Scotland. They also produced a child friendly version of the report.

Strong link between children living with obesity and deprivation

The National Child Measurement Programme, England, 2021/22 school year report by NHS Digital, published in November 2022 reveals the impact of deprivation on children.

The prevalence of reception-aged children living with obesity in England during 2021-22 was over twice as high in the most deprived areas (13.6%) than in the least deprived areas (6.2%). This difference is also seen in year 6 children - with 31.3% living with obesity in the most deprived areas compared with 13.5% in the least deprived areas.

Disabled children and young people up to 25 with severe complex needs: integrated service delivery and organisation across health, social care and education

In January 2023 the guideline that covers support for disabled children and young people with severe complex needs, from birth to 25 years was updated. This includes recommendations on delegated clinical tasks to replace ‘must’ with ‘should’ and to indicate that employers are health and social care employers. See update information for further details.

Core20PLUS5 – An approach to reducing health inequalities for children and young people

Core20PLUS5 is a national NHS England approach to support the reduction of health inequalities at both national and system level. The approach defines a target population cohort and identifies ‘5’ focus clinical areas requiring accelerated improvement. The approach, which initially focussed on healthcare inequalities experienced by adults, has now been adapted to apply to children and young people–the information below outlines the Core20PLUS5 approach for children and young people.

Urgent action needed as acute malnutrition threatens the lives of millions of vulnerable children

In January 2023 the World Health Organisation published a joint news release from United Nations agencies calling for urgent action to protect the most vulnerable children in the 15 countries (Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, the Niger, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Yemen) hardest hit by an unprecedented food and nutrition crisis.

Currently, more than 30 million children in the 15 worst-affected countries suffer from wasting – or acute malnutrition – and 8 million of these children are severely wasted, the deadliest form of undernutrition.

Accelerated progress with the Global Action Plan for Child Wasting is crucial.

Join the ABPN

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