New study reveals pressures on ‘unsustainable’ paediatric care

Reforms to the way paediatric care is provided need to be introduced in order to ensure that UK children benefit from the services they require in a timely manner.

This is according to a new report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, which revealed that 77 percent of children are currently able to see a paediatrician on middle or consultant-grade rotas within four hours of admission.

Moreover, 88 percent of young people admitted to a paediatric department with an acute medical problem are seen by a consultant paediatrician or equivalent within the first 24 hours, but it was also observed that there is a notable lack of available consultants during peak hours.

The report also noted that immediate telephone advice is not always available across some specialties, while there was an overall impression that resources are being spread too thinly.

Dr Hilary Cass, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: "Acute paediatricians are under significant pressure within the current structures and we have to be prepared to re-examine the way in which we deliver care, because this way of working is not sustainable."

This comes after a recent Unicef report revealed that the wellbeing of British children has improved in many ways in the last decade, but still lags behind many European nations.