Child Health Tuesday – weekly email bulletin
| Every week we circulate a round-up of information we have been asked to distribute to our members, along with any other items of interest to share with you.
Contact us via the email address below if you have any items to request for inclusion, using the subject line ‘Child Health Tuesday’.
Email us: nencicb.northernchildnetwork@nhs.net Find us on LinkedIn and Bluesky
If you have been forwarded this email, join the Network now to receive future bulletins directly to your inbox.
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Farewell to Dr Ria Willoughby – and seeking a new Secondary Care Clinical Lead
Over the summer we bid farewell to one of the Network’s founding clinical leaders – Dr Ria Willoughby, Deputy Medical Director & Care Group Director for Family Health at County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust – who starts what we wish to be a long and happy retirement in August. As a constant and core Network leader, as well as an experienced Strategic Clinical Leader, she will be especially and personally missed by the Network team.
In 2018 Ria was first invited into the programme and attended the original System Transformation Programme that the Network was built from, and since then she has chaired multiple events including the original Network regional events, many a huddle on a range of topics, and more recently the Provider Collaborative Paediatrics Summit this month. Her considered contributions were also a valuable part of the Network’s original Executive, and more recently the ICB’s Health and Wellbeing Strategic Oversight Group, representing acute clinicians’ views in this broad system forum.
It is this most recent role that we are calling for expressions of interest to secure a successor as the Network’s Secondary Care Clinical Lead.
If you are a senior leader in Secondary Care and are aware of the strategic challenges and solutions available to the child health and wellbeing system we’d love to hear from you. Please contact us nencicb.northernchildnetwork@nhs.net with your name, role, relevant experience, and why the role is important to you, by August 1st.
If you’d like to find out more about the Network and the Strategic Oversight Group, you can request a short one-to-one with Heather Corlett via the same email above.
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System Engagement Group meeting – open invitation
Thursday 10th July, 1.30-3pm, online
Join us for our bi-monthly System Engagement Group meeting, a regular opportunity to connect and learn from colleagues working across the child health and wellbeing system in an informal ‘community of practice’ style session.
This month we will be hearing from Amanda Olvanhill, Head of Post-16 Progression and Careers in the Education Service at Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council to talk about a successful local project making school attendance everyone’s business.
We will also be joined by Philip Mordue, Research Manager in the Research and Evidence team at NENC ICB, and one of the new Knowledge Mobilisation Fellows working with the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration NENC, talking about the importance and benefits of engaging with research across the system.
If you would like to be added to the group membership list to receive the Teams link for this meeting and future diary invites, please email nencicb.northernchildnetwork@nhs.net
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Last chance to register
Developing Neighbourhood MDTs for CYP in the North East and North Cumbria – Network Huddle
Thursday 17th July, 10am-12pm, online
Please mark your diaries to join this session if you have an interest in the development of Neighbourhood Multi-Disciplinary Teams (NMDTs) in the North East and North Cumbria. We will be hosting one of our Network Huddles to share some best practice examples of this way of working, including hearing from colleagues involved in the CC4C work that is well established in London.
We will also be exploring opportunities to develop an NENC Community of Practice for CYP MDTs as outlined in the national deliverables for ICBs.
If you have a particular interest in this area of work, please email nencicb.northernchildnetwork@nhs.net to request to be added to our NMDT Community of Practice distribution list.
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Publication of the 10 Year Health Plan
Last week the Department for Health and Social Care published the government’s long-awaited 10 Year Health Plan for England.
The 10 Year Health Plan is part of the government’s health mission to build a health service fit for the future. It sets out how the government will reinvent the NHS through 3 radical shifts:
You can access an 11-page Executive Summary, the full 168-page plan document, and an Easy Read version on the gov.uk website.
The King’s Fund have put together an explainer article on their website, outlining what the plan might mean for different parts of the system. Read the article.
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The role of digital and data in reducing community health service waiting times
Wednesday 17th September 10am-1pm, online
As we work to address the 3 key shifts laid out in the 10 Year Health Plan and move to providing increasingly complex care in the community, we are also still addressing a backlog of community services waiting times. Come and join us on our first webinar where we explore how the use of digital and data can help reduce waiting times for community services and improve people’s experience. *Time subject to change
For any queries, please contact the NEY Community Health Services team at england.communityhealthservicesney@nhs.net
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National Year of Reading 2026
The National Year of Reading 2026 is a campaign to address the steep decline in reading amongst children, young people and adults. It is a Department for Education initiative, in collaboration with the National Literacy Trust, as their delivery partner of the campaign.
The National Year of Reading will position reading as a powerful contemporary activity and will aim to engage new audiences in reading and to change the national reading culture for good. Reading is central to the Government’s Plan for Change: it supports success in school, work and in life, boosts wellbeing, brings people together and increases empathy.
Multi-sector partners are joining forces to get the nation reading and we hope that you will join us.
National Literacy Trust welcomes your support for the National Year of Reading. To express interest in becoming a partner or contributor, please complete the Expression Of Interest form at: nationalyearofreading.org.uk
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Unheard Voices: A Podcast produced by Children North East and Northumberland College
Unheard Voices is a podcast recorded by Children North East Young Ambassadors at Northumberland College, where young people share their thoughts and views on how those experiencing poverty are affected by everyday life.
Read more and listen to the podcast
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Employability Workshop for Neurodivergent Young People
Wednesday 16th July, 4pm-5.30pm 4 Graingerville North, Westgate Road, NE4 6UJ
Children North East’s expert team are hosting a drop-in workshop for neurodivergent young people, for them to access support with employability. Whether it’s CV writing, interview prep or just to help with their confidence – the team would love to help!
Open to anyone aged 16 – 24 years old
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Suicide prevention training
PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide have been contracted by the North East and North Cumbria (NENC) Integrated Care Board to provide fully funded suicide prevention training to:
An overview of the course and available dates for the SPEAK training sessions can be found here: North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board Training Sessions | Papyrus.
Should you wish to arrange a training session for your team of 30 participants or have any inquiries regarding these sessions, please contact Ukaoma.Uche@papyrus-uk.org.
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NENC Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub – quick and confidential support just for you
Confidential support for health and care staff If you work in health or social care in the North East or North Cumbria and need support, help is available for you. The hub provides you with free, confidential support.
How we can help Life can be tough, whether it’s problems at work, at home, or both. Whatever you’re dealing with, we’re here to listen and help. Here’s what we offer:
More information and access support
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Introducing Boost – helping us to ‘be the best at getting better’
The Boost platform provides a hub for innovation, idea-sharing, networking, and supporting improvement efforts across the North East and North Cumbria.
Boost is hosted by the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, and the community is open to anyone with an interest in driving forward change in health and care. It offers an opportunity for people to come together, share good ideas, promote new solutions, as well as learn when things don’t go well.
Find out more and join the Boost community.
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The following messages have been circulated by the Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme team for information and action where appropriate.
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Rosalind Franklin nursing and midwifery leadership programme
Are you currently working as a band 8a to 8c professional and are an aspiring Senior Matron, Head of Children & Young People’s Nursing, Head or Director of Midwifery, Consultant Nurse or Midwife?
There is an opportunity to apply for a fully funded bespoke Rosalind Franklin Leadership Programme.
The programme is delivered across six modules with maternity, neonates, children and young people specific elements embedded within the programme and will run over a nine-month period. The focus of the programme is on system-wide leadership for maternity, neonatal and children’s services and therefore we encourage applications from providers in all sectors, including band 7 applicants with demonstrable band 8a experience.
To successfully pass the programme and receive the NHS Leadership Academy award in Senior Healthcare Leadership successful applicants must:
To be eligible to apply for this fantastic opportunity your current role should involve one of the following:
The application process opens on 03/07/2025 and closes on 08/08/2025, after
Please note, you will have the option to select one of the following three cohorts: Applicants MUST be available for all workshop and impact group days for their chosen cohort.
If you are new to the NHS Leadership Academy, you will need to register and create an account before you apply.
To apply please use the link below:
https://apply.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/apply/franklin-comm
If you have any questions or would like further information, please contact: (england.maternityandneonatalprogrammes@nhs.net)
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Published: July 14