Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic response saw child health services undergo rapid reform to improve care provision.1 2 However, perhaps the greatest success story of the pandemic was the improvement in access to paediatric healthcare education for over 1800 whole time equivalent of GPs in Northern Ireland (NI). The foundations which were built, and the partnerships formed through an innovative, regional multidisciplinary education program endure today as it enters its tenth successive series. In it's a wake, a community of practice between primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare professionals prevails, and the pathway for the first primary care paediatric conference was paved.3 4 Methods We conceived, co-designed, co-delivered, evaluated, and embedded an exciting partnership between primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare professional education bodies across Northern Ireland- RBHSC SimEd, GPNI, and NIMDTA. Using the established GPNI virtual platform, we designed and delivered nine live and recorded-format interactive webinars (figure 1). The sessions have been led by a range of healthcare professionals including paediatric consultants, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and dieticians. To build on this success in the post pandemic era, an inaugural regional child health conference was established to empower primary care colleagues with evidence based practical solutions which facilitate optimal management in primary care through interactive workshops, debates and patient panel discussions. Results Participation and feedback from virtual sessions has been excellent with over 1,800 attendees to date. Sessions have been accessed by GPs, foundation doctors, paediatric trainees, specialty consultants, nurses and pharmacists. Our face-to-face Primary Care Paediatrics Conference saw over 140 healthcare professionals from across the region share in a collaborative event of networking, panel discussions and practical workshops. Key comments include: 'Thoroughly enjoyed the practical insights from paediatrics'. 'I will continue to attend the series as I find them very relevant to primary care'. 'Before I would have sent these cases to ED as I don't think I could have reassured the family.' Conclusion Aligned with the RCPCH 2040 vision, we have demonstrated innovation by embedding regional interprofessional educational sessions aimed at helping colleagues support clinical decision making, sharing knowledge, guidance, and research.5 Building on its success, we delivered the first regional Primary Care Paediatric Conference which continues to strengthen links and address the gap- specifically the significant number of primary care physicians with limited paediatric experience. We demonstrate a successful interprofessional initiative, whereby upon learning from each other, we can enhance care for children and young people across NI. References Brocard E, Antoine P, Mélihan-Cheinin P, Rusch E. COVID-19′s impact on home health services, caregivers and patients: lessons from the French experience. The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. 2021 Sep;8:100197. Haines A, de Barros EF, Berlin A, Heymann DL, Harris MJ. National UK programme of community health workers for COVID-19 response. The Lancet. 2020 Mar. Wegner E, McDermott R, Snyder WM. 'Cultivating communities of Practice' (Hardcover). 1st ed. Harvard Business Press, 2002. Klaber R, Blair M, Lemer C, Watson M. Whole population integrated child health: moving beyond pathways. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 2016;102(1):5–7. Paediatrics 2040- https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/resources/paediatrics-2040.
Mullan et al. (Tue,) studied this question.