Nursery World - Under-fives in urban areas more likely to be taken to hospital

Young children living in cities are three to four times more likely to be taken to Accident and Emergency than those in rural areas, a new Department of Health report has found.

The NHS Atlas of Variation in Healthcare for children and young people shows that in 2009/10, there was a 3.5 fold variation between the top and bottom primary care trusts in England for children under five visiting accident and emergency departments.

Sunderland had the highest number of attendances with 1,232 recorded per 100,000 children, followed by 900 instances in Manchester and 883 in Westminster. Buckinghamshire had the lowest number of attendances with 99 per 100,000 children.

The atlas, produced by the Department of Health, maps the care of children across all Primary Care Trusts (PCT) in England based on 27 health indicators.

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