Children’s emergency warning system to escalate care when families raise concerns
Original report: date unavailable
Emergency departments in England are introducing a standardised system to spot children whose condition is worsening. Alongside checks of vital signs, concerns raised by parents, carers, staff or children themselves will trigger an immediate escalation of care.
Hospital emergency departments in England are introducing the National Paediatric Early Warning System to help staff identify children whose condition is dangerously deteriorating. Staff will record and score vital signs, including blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen levels. Higher overall scores indicate a need for more urgent attention, while concerns from families, staff or children themselves will trigger immediate escalation.
More than 90 hospitals across England already use the alert system on children’s wards, with assessments tailored to different ages. Developed by NHS England with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Royal College of Nursing, the emergency department initiative is intended to improve recognition of deterioration ahead of winter pressures.
The rollout accompanies plans to extend Martha’s Rule to every emergency department in England, allowing families to request rapid reviews when concerns go unanswered. It also follows scrutiny of two-year-old Finlay Roberts’s death after hours waiting in a hospital corridor; a coroner raised concerns about missing basic observations.
Source
BBC News
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