Rapid review service available for families of children in hospital

Parents and carers of all children staying in hospital can ask for a rapid review if they are worried that their child's health is getting worse.

This ensures that the vitally important concerns of those who know their child best are listened to and acted upon.

Parents and carers of babies, children and young people who are staying in hospital at Evelina London Children's Hospital, Royal Brompton Hospital and St Thomas' Hospital can call a dedicated phone number to raise concerns and ask for an urgent review.

All calls are handled by an independent team of paediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs). They are specialist nurses with extensive knowledge and experience in children's healthcare and provide senior leadership in our hospitals.

Calls will be responded to within one hour and a member of the PNP team will visit the patient to check on them. They will talk to the team looking after the child and agree actions with them. These actions will then be discussed with the patient's parent or carer and the PNP will give a full update on the patient's condition.

Dr Sara Hanna, medical director of Evelina London Children's Hospital, said: "All of us want to know that we're doing everything possible to keep the children in our hospital safe. To do that best, we work with parents and carers on a daily basis to help make the right decisions about their child's medical care.

"This new service makes it really easy for a parent or carer to raise concerns and get their child reviewed urgently by someone with the right skills. This is a really important safety net if they are worried their concerns aren't being heard or we aren't acting quickly enough."

Calls to the phone number can be made 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

This service is in support of Martha's Rule, a national initiative implemented by the Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England.

Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust has a call if concerned service for adults staying in hospital across our sites.

Visit our webpage about the rapid review service for more information.