Children's health warning system rolled out by NHS

NHS England is rolling out a national early-warning system to help medics spot and treat a deteriorating child patient quickly - and act on parents' concerns.

Parents and carers are "at the heart of the new system", NHS chiefs say.

Scores for signs such as blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen levels will be tracked on a chart.

But if a parent is worried their child is sicker than the chart suggests, care will be rapidly escalated.

While similar systems already exist in many hospitals, NHS national medical director, Prof Sir Stephen Powis, said staff and patients alike would welcome the introduction of a standardised system across hospitals.

"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," he said.

The rollout follows the patient safety commissioner, Dr Henrietta Hughes, recommending that Martha's rule is delivered across England's hospitals, giving patients and families the right to an urgent second opinion and rapid review from a critical care team if they are worried about a patient's condition.

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Source: BBC News, 3 November 2023