The Government's decision to ensure that children and their healthcare needs are given a higher priority in the National Health Service (NHS) has been welcomed by children's healthcare charities.
The announcement by the Government of a complete overhaul of children's services in the NHS and the appointment of a national director of children's healthcare services followed the publication last week of the Kennedy report of the Bristol Royal Infirmary inquiry. This highlighted how between 1991 and 1995 up to 35 more children under the age of one died after open-heart surgery in Bristol than in similar heart units elsewhere in England.
The report made 198 recommendations. It called for a national director for children's healthcare services, a greater integration of children's health services, standards - some of them mandatory - for the care of children, and for all healthcare staff who treat children to have training in caring for children.
Speaking in the House of Commons last week, health secretary Alan Milburn announced the appointment of Professor Al Aynsley-Green, Nuffield professor of health at London's Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, as national director for children's healthcare services in England. He said of Professor Green's appointment that 'his priority will be to spearhead the faster development of the first-ever national standards for children's health services. Standards for children's services in hospital, including children with congenital heart disease, will be ready next year'.
Peg Belson, adviser to the healthcare charity Action for Sick Children, who gave a written submission to the inquiry, welcomed the appointment of Professor Aynsley-Green. She said, 'He's a very good choice for he has always been very forthright in wishing to see children's services given a higher priority in the NHS.
'The message has finally got through, but there is still a long way to go. Only about half of health authorities have got children's community nurses and there is also the need for appropriate care for children in Accident and Emergency services. Then there are issues such as travel costs for parents and suitable accommodation for parents whose children are in hospital.
'That children are cared for by paediatric-trained staff was recommended in the Cook Report in 1976. The recommendations are fine. Let's hope they now get implemented.'
The National Association of Hospital Play Staff (NAHPS) welcomed the move towards developing a much more child-friendly NHS. Its chair, Judy Walker, said, 'We are pleased to see that the Kennedy report echoes many of our sentiments about family-centred care. We would fully endorse its recommendation to shift the emphasis to child-centred support in all services and for children's needs to be listened to.
'One of the biggest problems patients complain about is that no-one listens to them. Play specialists have been doing this for years and the report has said this is the way forward.
'Healthcare professionals will find that listening to families does take more time but it has huge benefits in terms of increased co-operation, a sense of involvement and an increased understanding of the whole child.'
Mrs Walker added that there was a 'huge variation' in paediatric care across the UK and stressed the need for more trained hospital play. She said, 'Some hospital play specialists teach children through play how to lie still for radiotherapy while other hospitals just give children a general anaesthetic (GA). Using play specialists would result in a huge saving in cost and a reduction in risk because every GA involves risk.
Often radiotherapy lasts 30 days which means 30 GAs, but most of all it benefits the child in terms of their self-confidence and self-esteem because they learn how to cope. 'The cost of two children's GAs for 30 days will pay for one hospital play specialist's salary.'
