It’s not always easy for children to get used to swallowing tablets and capsules and so the paediatric team at University Hospitals Dorset (UHD) has launched ‘KidzMeds Pill School’ for those over the age of five.

As most medicines are in pill form, swallowing pills is an important life skill for children to learn. There are also many other benefits of taking tablets/capsules over liquid medicines – liquid medicines are high in sugar content, often need to be refrigerated, are more expensive to buy and their transport and disposal is associated with a higher carbon footprint than tablets or capsules.

The UHD programme was boosted by a Greener NHS Healthier Futures grant and is being led by Dr Fiona Hignett and pharmacist Nia Templeman, who will be running Dorset-wide training sessions throughout 2023. Within UHD, play therapists, nurses, healthcare assistants and paediatric psychologists will also promote the scheme during inpatient stays and in outpatient group sessions.

Nia said: “Pill School has been a fantastic way of empowering young children and their families, and the cost-saving benefits are fantastic. We can reduce dosing errors, minimise wastage and reduce our carbon footprint.

“I am so proud that members across the whole team have come together to run the sessions. We hope to share our learning with the wider population, by organising online training sessions with NHS Dorset, the Integrated Care Board and community providers such as GP practices to promote the adoption of this project across Dorset.”

Further information on the KidzMeds Pill School can be found at https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/kidzmed/ and you can watch Nia explaining how the school works at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bnyCchOnnQ&t=35s