The NHS is rolling out a new early warning system for doctors and
nurses treating children to quickly identify deterioration,
escalate care, and act on parental concerns.
The system allows doctors to track possible deterioration in a
child’s condition on a chart, measuring things like blood
pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels and levels of consciousness,
with different scores representing the level of concern.
While many hospitals already have similar systems in place, this
change will provide a single, national standardised process for
patients, families, and staff to have a clear way of ensuring
issues are detected and escalated quickly.
If a parent or carer raises a concern that their child is getting
ill or sicker than the score shows, this will immediately
escalate the child’s care regardless of other clinical
observations.
Working in partnership with the Royal College of Paediatric and
Child Health and the Royal College of Nursing, NHS England has
been developing the Paediatric Early Warning System for over
three years with pilots running across 15 sites.
The NHS will be rolling out a leaflet and video content for
parents, letting them know how to communicate concerns to
healthcare staff and encouraging them to escalate if needed.
As the programme develops, the NHS will implement any guidance
from Martha’s Rule within the early warning system.
A similar process for adults, the National Early Warning System,
already exists but now children will also benefit in hospital
settings, with plans to expand to mental health, ambulance, and
community services in due course.
Unlike adults the system has four separate charts, each covering
a different age range, including 0-11 months, 1-4 years, 5-12
years, and those aged 13 and over.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS national medical
director, said: “The rollout of the National
Paediatric Early Warning System has been years in the making and
I know NHS staff and patients alike will welcome the introduction
of this standardised system across hospital settings, allowing
dedicated clinicians to observe, track and identify deterioration
in children’s conditions to get them the help they need faster
and more easily.
“We know that nobody can spot the signs of a child getting sicker
better than their parents, which is why we have ensured that the
concerns of families and carers are right at the heart of this
new system with immediate escalation in a child’s care if they
raise concerns and plans to incorporate the right to a second
opinion as the system develops further.”
Professor Simon Kenny, NHS national clinical director for
children and young people, said: “With different
tools for tracking the condition of babies, children and
teenagers, this system will enable NHS teams to use
straightforward, standard scoring systems to track a child’s
vital signs, with evidence from pilot sites demonstrating clear
benefits for patients and staff alike.
“This new process is the result of extensive work by NHS England,
the Royal College of Paediatric Child Health and the Royal
College of Nursing and will be invaluable for both NHS staff and
patients, helping to create a ‘common language’ as part of the
process in tracking any signs of deterioration and triggering
escalation if needed.”
Health Minister, , said: “This
single, national, early warning system, specific to children,
will save lives by helping to spot a deterioration in a child’s
condition quickly.
“We know from the tragic case of Martha Mills that it’s vital to
give parents a voice when it comes to the care of their child and
so it will be reassuring to families that as part of this system,
parents will be heard.
“Aligning this early warning system with any future guidance will
ensure both medical and parental concerns are swiftly escalated.”
