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 […]
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 […]
The Children’s Hospitals Alliance Risk Tool (CHART)
Challenge The current systems used in the NHS to assess the risk to patients of waiting for treatment does not adequately capture the increased risks that affect younger patients. Delayed access to elective care affects children’s development and can cause long-term harm felt throughout their lifetimes. The Children’s Hospitals Alliance has collaborated to develop and pilot […]