ABOUT US

The CHA network has been running for over a decade to support children’s health leaders and practitioners in coming together to improve access, quality experience of children’s hospital care.

It became one of the highest performing Accelerators. Collectively, the participating trusts exceeded pre-Covid activity levels and provided care for 38,000 patients who may otherwise have carried on waiting. Working together in a completely different way through a structured central programme and by pooling resources, insight and knowledge towards a common purpose was hugely empowering for staff. Not only were they able to see to see more patients – but also to drive through innovations and service improvements that have had a lasting legacy. Read more about the impact of the programme here.

This work was recognised at the HSJ Awards, scooping the Performance Recovery category: (HSJ Awards 2022: Performance Recovery Award | HSJ Awards | Health Service Journal.)

When the recovery funding was discontinued for the new financial year (2022-23), trust leadership teams committed to continue to self-fund the PMO to maintain momentum on the various workstreams and to realise the potential of this new collaborative way of working.

Members connect at a quarterly meeting and a range of peer-to-peer groups – including for CEOs, Medical Directors, Nursing Directors, Research and Innovation experts, other allied health professionals and corporate leads. (See: Our networks)

The work we deliver together is run by a PMO team, shaped by our Operational Leaders’ Steering Group and Clinical Reference Group and advanced by a series of programme working groups. (See: Our team)

We also hold a quarterly meeting for all members to connect with our wider network of child health stakeholders, including NHS England & the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. (See: Our partners)

OUR REACH

Across the CHA’s 12 trust, our members provide care to 4.4 m patients across our catchment areas, including:

3.52m contacts to children and young people every year

24% of children’s acute activity nationally
469,677 inpatient admissions – 57,550 of these are elective, and 176,265 are day case
3,050,633 outpatient attendances

With a total of 1,969 paediatric beds, 273 of which are intensive care beds – our members hold 75% of the country’s intensive care beds for paediatrics.

Every year, we provide the whole range of specialist and general acute paediatric care:

>20,000 episodes of inpatient oncology care;
>16,500 inpatient paediatric surgeries
>151,000 trauma and orthopaedic outpatient appointments
>106,500 general paediatrics outpatient appointments

Via our regional networks, almost every child in the country is able to access specialist care from one of our members.

20% of our contacts are with the most deprived decile of the population

(This varies by Trust, with Trusts in the North West serving a more deprived population.)

OUR MEMBERS

Click on our members logos to visit their website.