Health professionals must have '24-hour access to safeguarding advice'

The standards on emergency care, developed by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and partners from several of the Royal health colleges, stipulate that all children should receive an initial clinical assessment within 15 minutes of arriving at an emergency setting.

The standards also suggest that emergency departments seeing more than 16,000 children a year should employ a consultant with specialist training in paediatric emergency medicine, while all emergency departments receiving children should have a lead registered children’s nurse and at least one children’s nurse on duty per shift.

On mental health and wellbeing, the standards argue that emergency clinicians with responsibility for children and young people must receive training in how to assess and manage their mental health needs, and support their family and carers.

In terms of information sharing, the standards insist that all visits to emergency departments must reported to the child or young person’s primary care team – for example their GP, school nurse or health visitor.

Professor Terence Stephenson, president of RCPCH, said: “There have been significant changes to how urgent healthcare is provided to children in the UK, with care provided in a range of settings – from minor injury units, walk-in centres and pharmacies as well as in hospital emergency departments.

“It’s therefore important that to ensure consistency in the level of service. There are clear standards that providers must meet to ensure all children, wherever they are treated and whatever the emergency, receive the highest quality of care.”

Dr Peter Carter, Royal College of Nursing chief executive and general secretary, added: “Nurses in emergency care settings are the first clinical point of contact for children and young people. They must have the right level of skills and knowledge to ensure that the child’s care is passed on to the right clinician in a timely manner.

“We urge healthcare organisations across the UK and those planning services to play close attention to these standards as they face challenges including the impact of financial constraints.”