Transforming waiting times into educational opportunities: the PED TV project

Dr Noellie Mottershead, consultant in paediatric emergency medicine, and Dr Salima Yasmin, trainee on the Greater Manchester Deprivation Programme, provide insights into the PED TV project—an initiative aimed at transforming waiting times in the paediatric emergency department into valuable educational experiences. The discussion highlights how the team introduced educational videos and digital posters into the waiting room, targeting over 50,000 children and their families each year. By surveying staff, patients, and carers, the project identified key topics such as health promotion and injury prevention, and curated content suitable for children with a reading age of about eight. The initiative resulted in improved knowledge and confidence among families, as well as overwhelmingly positive feedback. Drs Mottershead and Yasmin emphasise the importance of leveraging waiting times for public health education and outline plans to expand the project across Manchester Foundation Trust and potentially to a national scale. This interview took place at the RCPCH conference 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland.