Register here for next CANDDID Conference, Friday 14 March 2025, Crowne Plaza Chester, Trinity Street Chester CH1 2BD.

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CANDDID Conf 2024 1.jpgJoin us for the Centre for Autism, Neuro-Developmental Disorders, and Intellectual Disability (CANDDID) Conference 2025 to listen to international experts talk about Health Inequalities and Neurodevelopmental Conditions. 

CANDDID, based in Chester, and hosted by Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP) brings together, education, training, and research in the fields of neurodevelopmental disorders and intellectual disabilities. Keynote speeches and seminars will coverd a wide range of topics, such as:

  • Access to health and social care for children and young people with special educational needs and disability: reality and ways forward
  • Access to healthcare for those from under-served and under-represented communities in the Northwest
  • Reducing health inequalities in children with special educational needs and disability: a public health perspective
  • Reducing mental health inequalities in autistic children and young people by improving access to therapeutic interventions
  • Avoidable mortality and health inequalities in autistic people
  • Barriers to healthcare for people with intellectual disability from ethnic backgrounds
  • Intersectionality and neurodiversity: impact of health inequalities

08.30 – 09:15

Registration and refreshments
09:15 – 09:30

Welcome and Introductions
Isla Wilson
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
9.30 - 11.00

KEYNOTE SESSION 1
Chair: Dr Anjan Mandara
Strategic Clinical Director, Children and Young People Services
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
09:30 – 10:00

KN1
Access to health and social care for children and young people with special educational needs and disability: reality and ways forward
Dr Christine Wee
Consultant Child Psychiatrist, Cheshire ADHD and Autism (AAT)
Director of Medical Education (Undergraduate)
Honorary Senior Lecturer, University of Chester
10:00 – 10:30

KN2
Why are people with neurodevelopmental conditions at risk of health inequalities?
Dr Christine Nightingale
Associate Professor
School of Nursing, Midwifery and Public Health
University of Suffolk
10:30 – 11:00

KN3
Access to healthcare for those from under-served and under-represented communities in the Northwest
Prof Lucy Bray
Professor of Child Health Literacy
Faculty of Health, Social Care and Medicine
Edge Hill University
11:00 – 11:30

Refreshments and Poster Viewing
11:30 – 12.30

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 1
Seminar 1

Reducing health inequalities in children with special educational needs and disability: a public health perspective
Dr Susan Roberts
Consultant in Public Health
Cheshire East Council
Chair: Maddy Lowry
Seminar 2

Reducing mental health inequalities in autistic children and young people by improving access to therapeutic interventions
Prof Vicky Karkou
Professor of Art and Wellbeing
Director of the Research Centre for Arts and Wellbeing
Edge Hill University
Chair: Lisa Thompson
Seminar 3

Co-production with underserved communities in research to improve outcomes and reduce health inequalities
Joann Kiernan, Mary Mulvey-Oates, Kayla Sellors

Autistic Communication Tool (A.C.T.) for use in primary healthcare interactions: a participatory research project
Dr Jennifer Kirton
Post-doctoral research associate, Primary care and mental health, Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool


Chair: Danny Acton
12.30 – 13.30

Lunch and Poster Viewing
13.30 – 14.30

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 2
Seminar 4

Strategies to support access to A&E for children and young people with neurodevelopmental conditions
Ben Toan, Louise Smith
Clinical Lead, Urgent Support Team for CYP
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Chair: Dr Ceri Woodrow
Seminar 5

Bringing services to the community: Early learning from the Radway Estate Project
Lucie Fernyhough, Rachel Strutt and others
Cheshire East Council, Cheshire East Parent Carer Forum and the Family Hub Team
Chair: Dr Christine Wee
Seminar 6

Addressing Respiratory Health Inequalities for People with Learning Disabilities from Minoritised Ethnic Communities in Lancashire
Tracey Hartley-Smith
Nurse Consultant, LSCFT
Menopause and women with intellectual disability
Kirstyn Mackay
Senior Community Nurse and Specialist Health Facilitator
Chair: Rachel Mills
14.30 – 15.00

Refreshments and Poster Viewing
15:00 - 16:30

KEYNOTE SESSION 2
Chair: Prof Sarah Ryan
Professor of Social Care, Department of Social Care and Social Work, Manchester Metropolitan University
15:00 – 15:30

KN4
Avoidable mortality and health inequalities in autistic people
Dr Ewelina Rydzewska-Fazekas
Lecturer in Health Futures, Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Programme Coordinator for MSc in Planetary Health
University of Edinburgh
15:30 – 16:00

KN5
Barriers to healthcare for people with intellectual disability from ethnic backgrounds
Prof Umesh Chauhan
Professor of Primary Care
University of Central Lancashire
GP Partner at Pendle View Medical Centre, Lancashire
16:00 – 16:30

KN6 (Virtual)
Intersectionality and neurodiversity: impact of health inequalities
Dr Monique Botha
Associate Professor in Social and Developmental Psychology
Durham University
16:30 – 16:45

Closing remarks

Prof Sujeet Jaydeokar
Consultant Psychiatrist, and Strategic Clinical Director
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
Visiting Professor at University of Chester
16:45

End of meeting

CANDDID2.jpgTake a look at our previous conferences below: