I am prone to beating up our Royal Colleges for one reason or another.  But, over the last few years, I have grown to admire and respect the work of one of their number in particular – the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH).

Yesterday, RCPCH launched a new report entitled ‘Turning the Tide: Harnessing the Power of Child Health Research’ which is part progress report and part agenda for change.  The College’s campaign will aim to:

• Debunk the myths surrounding clinical trials – and push for the introduction of a system of ‘opting out’ of  studies designed to reduce uncertainties in treatments, rather than ‘opting in’
• Bring organisations together in a UK “Children’s Research Collaboration” to optimise use of funding for research and raise awareness of the need to strengthen children’s involvement
• Improve education, research training, and guidance for paediatricians: with the RCPCH pledging to improve research training for all paediatricians  and clear routes into research careers
• Strengthen the infrastructure for children’s biomedical research in the UK by supporting the establishment of a children’s trials network for non-medicines as well as medicines studies, and children’s health sciences networks to share resources, and promote cross-institutional collaboration between paediatricians, adult physicians, and non-clinical scientists researching the early life origins of adult diseases

There’s a very powerful section in the report about what the NHS should be doing which you could read across many, if not all, other conditions.

Two additional comments.  The idea of a UK Children’s Research Collaboration (UKCRC! funnily enough – see yesterday’s blog) is a good one.  Quite apart from the greater co-ordination of efforts that would result, precedent suggests it will also help amplify the message (one of the points Richard Smith noted in his BMJ blog today about charities needing to work together more).  The arguments in favour are given further force this afternoon by the news that donations to medical research charities are now falling (see AMRC blog).  Quite simply it is about efficiencies of scale.

I’m also delighted that RCPCH and its partners are going ahead with the idea of a ‘children’s charter.’  The College seem to have developed a strong public involvement model of working and I went to one of their meetings with young people and parents a few months ago as part of the ‘Turning the Tide’ preparation work.  This was an idea that came out of that meeting and I am pleased it has gained credence with the report authors including Neena Modi, Vice-President at the College.  In setting out children’s rights and expectations when it comes to research I am sure we would all wish to support and applaud its development.