Children’s Hospitals celebrate the 75th anniversary of the NHS
In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the NHS, we are sharing the stories of some of our incredible healthcare staff across the UK who were inspired by the care they received as children, to work for the NHS today. Stories like these remind us of the impact that excellent healthcare experiences can have on […]
The National Paediatric Accelerator
Challenge Paediatric services were badly hit by Covid: as well as the restrictions facing all services, some Trusts gave over paediatric beds to adults, or allocated children’s nurses to adult services. As a result, children’s waiting lists were very badly affected and rising significantly faster than for adults. But the priority in national policy was […]
The ‘Was Not Brought’ programme – predictive AI & tailored interventions
Challenge Every year, children in England miss more than a million hospital appointments. Sometimes parents/carers believe that a child no longer needs the appointment, or they simply forget. But in some cases, children miss their appointments because poverty or disadvantage prevent them from accessing healthcare. In 2019/20, there were 8 million outpatient appointments for children […]
RCPCH welcomes workforce plan but concerns remain over lack of child health focus
Today NHS England and UK Government have published their ambitious long-term plan for the current and future NHS workforce. The plan, which comes during record high demands across all health services and over 100,000 staff vacancies, sets out to train, retain and reform the workforce by: NHS England has committed to refreshing the Long-Term Workforce […]
Shared learning and support for child health leaders
Challenge The relatively small size of paediatric services compared with adult services, and the fact that specialist paediatric services are spread across a wide geographical area, means that clinicians and leaders of paediatric services are often relatively isolated within local systems. The Children’s Hospital Alliance provides a unique opportunity for operational, clinical, managerial and executive […]
Children’s Hospital Alliance Virtual Wards Proposal, developed July 2022
Challenge In 2022, the CHA developed a proposal to work together on a virtual wards programme to tackle growing demand for children’s hospital beds and help address long waiting lists, particularly during winter pressures. Since Covid, elective waiting lists have risen 60% faster for children than for adults. This is especially significant because children are […]
Providing food for parents of children in hospital
Challenge In England, 2 million children (19%) live in low-income families – up from 15% in 2015. In the North 6% more children live in poverty compared to all of England. As rising housing, energy and food costs put more people in the position of making difficult choices, thinking about how to poverty-proof children’s healthcare […]
Growing problems, one year on: the state of children’s health care and the Covid-19 backlog
QualityWatch’s 2022 annual statement showed that although the direct effects of Covid-19 on children and young people have generally been milder than for older groups, the impact of the pandemic was huge, with waiting lists for children and young people’s care growing rapidly and mental health a serious concern. So, more than one year on […]
Transforming PICU communications
Evelina London Children’s Hospital treats thousands of children, some of whom require treatment in the PICU. Usually, nurses would keep a journal for patients to help them remember their time, and keep parents and relatives informed on the latest developments. This became particularly important when COVID-19 struck and visiting hours were restricted. The pandemic prompted […]
CHA interventions referenced in NHSE’s national campaign to cut paediatric waiting lists
The Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care highlighted that long waits before accessing planned care can have life-long consequences on the development of children and young people (CYP). A delivery group has been formed bringing together the national Elective Recovery Programme, the Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme and stakeholders to accelerate progress […]