Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health partners with CPOC

Published: 27/01/2020
Dr Sian Harris

The Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC) is pleased to announce the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) as a new partner to the cross-organisational, multidisciplinary partnership led by the Royal College of Anaesthetists.

Perioperative care is the integrated multidisciplinary care of patients from the moment surgery is contemplated through to full recovery. CPOC is a cross-specialty partnership dedicated to the promotion, advancement and development of perioperative care for patient benefit. CPOC works in partnership with patients and the public, other professional stakeholders including Medical Royal Colleges, NHS England and the equivalent bodies responsible for healthcare in the other UK devolved nations.

Surgical emergencies in children amount to up to 20% of all district general hospital emergency surgeries and approximately 50% of general paediatric surgeries1. CPOC will therefore benefit from having a specialist paediatric voice represented on the board and contributing to the partnership.

 Dr David Selwyn Director of The Centre for Perioperative Care: “I would like to welcome the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. CPOC is a cross-specialty partnership and it is wonderful to have Dr Sian Harris bringing her expertise of such an important group of patients.    

“With perioperative care spanning all medical specialties, the addition of paediatrics and child health to the work of CPOC adds to our reach into even more aspects of patient care. Through support such as this, CPOC will emerge as a world leader in guiding the implementation of integrated perioperative care for surgical patients and I look forward to working with Sian and her colleagues at the RCPCH to achieve this.”

Dr Sian Harris, a consultant paediatrician at the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health representative on the CPOC board, said: “I’m extremely pleased to be part of this initiative as I believe that it’s important to have paediatric input in any service which delivers care across the lifespan.

“The current plans for healthcare involve a move to more surgical care being delivered in secondary care. Children and adolescents have very specific needs according to where they are in terms of their development and their care often involves many services. Good coordination of these, alongside strategic planning, policy work and excellent communication, is key and CPOC will be a crucial part of this.”

Reference:

  1. Surgery For Children. July 2007