Health Minister has praised the excellent care
being provided by regional paediatric units across Northern
Ireland on a visit to Craigavon Area Hospital to discuss regional
winter plans for children's services.
During the visit to Blossom Children and Young People's Centre,
Minister Nesbitt also highlighted how parents and carers can take
steps to ensure children and young people get the care they need
by accessing the right service at the right time.
Health Minister said: “It is clear to see the
excellent care provided to children and young people here at the
Blossom Centre in Craigavon - I know the same can be said of all
our paediatric units which form part of the regional Child Health
Partnership.
“During the winter period, extra pressure is added to our
paediatric services by the increase in seasonal illnesses, such
as respiratory conditions and winter vomiting bugs. Please be
assured that plans are in place to deal with these pressures and
protect vital children's services. Across our hospital network,
dedicated paediatric teams are available to deliver high levels
of care if your child does need to come to hospital - these
services can help to ensure your child is seen as quickly as
possible and as close to home as possible.
“Every parent's primary focus is to make sure their child
gets the care they need in a timely way. Whilst it is
understandably stressful and worrying when a child falls ill,
they may not necessarily need to attend hospital to get the right
care. Please consider if other services can provide the advice
and treatment your child needs during the busy winter period.”
Dr Shilpa Shah, Consultant Paediatrician
at Blossom Children and Young People's Centre said: “We are
delighted to welcome the Minister here today to see how the
Blossom Centre operates within the paediatric system across the
region, working closely with colleagues across Trusts to ensure
that children and young people can receive excellent care. We
want to encourage parents to use the children's symptom checker(external link
opens in a new window / tab), and if you need to come to
hospital be assured that each Trust has dedicated paediatric
units. All of these units have highly skilled staff where
your child will receive the same level of safe and effective care
irrespective of where they live.”
The Minister concluded: “I want to thank
the team here at Blossom Centre, and all paedatric teams across
the regional network, for their hard work and dedication. I know
that the care and support they provide to every child that comes
through their doors means the world to their families.”
If you have any concerns about your
child's health, please seek advice and support as soon as
possible.
Children who require urgent medical attention should attend their
local Emergency Department.
If your child is unwell and does not
require urgent care please use the NI
Children's symptom checker(external link
opens in a new window / tab) for advice and guidance.
You can also contact your GP or out of hours service.
Advice and treatment on a range of common winter illnesses is
also available from community pharmacists, including a new
‘Pharmacy First for Sore Throats' Service which is available to
anyone aged five years and over from 1 December 2024.
More information about the Pharmacy First service can be found on
the HSC NI website(external link
opens in a new window / tab).
