Formed in 1986, the BPSU is a activity supported by Public Health England, UCL Institute of Child Health and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
The unit aims to:
- facilitate research into uncommon childhood infections and disorders for the advancement of knowledge and to effect practical improvement in prevention, treatment and service planning
- allow paediatricians to participate in surveillance of uncommon disorders and to lessen the burden on reporting doctors of such requests arising from numerous different sources
- increase awareness within the medical profession and public of the less common disorders studied and respond rapidly to public health emergencies
- collaborate with our link surveillance units in the UK and across the world.
Phone: +44 (0)20 7092 6173/74
Email: bpsu@rcpch.ac.uk
Recent content
News
Two centuries of child health research and four decades of rare disease surveillance: Join the UCL200/BPSU40 symposium
21 August 2026
This September, two major milestones in child health come together at a special symposium exploring the past, present and future of childhood rare disease research. Join us on Tuesday 22 September in London.
News
BPSU publishes first five-year report showcasing the impact of rare disease surveillance
1 July 2026
The British Paediatric Surveillance Unit (BPSU)’s report brings together the Unit's achievements between 2021 and 2025 and demonstrates how national surveillance of rare childhood conditions is improving research, informing policy and supporting clinical care across the UK and Republic of Ireland.
News
Seeing the rare: why surveillance matters
27 February 2026
Each year on the last day of February, Rare Disease Day shines a light on conditions that affect millions worldwide; conditions that most doctors may never encounter. For many families, rarity can mean long diagnostic journeys and uncertainty.
News
Raising awareness of rare diseases in children and young people
28 February 2025
Rare diseases may be individually uncommon - but collectively they affect many people. In fact, one in 17 children in the UK are affected by a rare disease at some point in their lives. We explain what BPSU does, and how you can learn more.
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BPSU study - Congenital and Hospitalised Neonatal Varicella
BPSU surveillance of fetal varicella syndrome (FVS) and neonatal varicella is to commence with the June 2023 card. The study is conducted by the UKHSA and led by Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, and will study how many babies have FVS or neonatal varicella, the features of the diseases, the treatments babi...
Volunteering opportunity
British Paediatric Surveillance Unit: Republic of Ireland representative
Closing date
BPSU undertakes active surveillance of rare paediatric conditions and infections across the UK and Ireland. Its Scientific Committee comprises experts in paediatrics, epidemiology and public health, and includes paediatric trainee and public representatives, and is now seeing a rep in Republic of Ir...
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BPSU - update your details
Thank you for visiting this page. You were recently sent a letter by the BPSU office because whilst auditing our surveillance database we noticed that you had not responded to three or more of our reporting cards.
This form is now closed. If you wish to be re-added to the BPSU scheme, please cont...
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BPSU Study - Near Fatal Asthma
BPSU surveillance of the Near Fatal Asthma in children and young people in UK and Republic of Ireland will commence with the October 2022 reporting card on the new data collection platform. The study aims to describe the frequency, risks factors, clinical care and future asthma risk of children and ...
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BPSU Study - Acute Hepatitis 22
BPSU surveillance of the Acute Hepatitis in Children 2022 commenced in May 2022 collecting cases seen from January 2022 onwards. This study aims to understand viral, non-viral or unidentified causes of this apparent increase in cases of acute hepatitis reported to the UKHSA. The study is being led b...
News
BPSU will soon launch a new data collection platform
17 March 2022
We've worked with the University of Dundee Health Informatics Centre on a new platform to collect data on rare diseases - making it easier for clinicians to report cases and complete their clinical questionnaires.