Redesign Urgent Care: paediatric pathway to flow navigation centres - review

9. Conclusions

9.1 Minimum specification for each board to meet before <12s are included:

• Senior decision maker to be available for each health board and needs to be competent to give remote assessment to children <12; may be supported by input from a paediatrician if required.
• Consideration should be given to establishing child health support for the FNC SDM. This support could come from within board or be provided on a regional basis.
• Shorter guaranteed call back from the FNC. The current guarantee is within four hours but two hours may be more acceptable to parents/carers.
• Consideration of a minimum age limit, e.g. 18 months, below which NHS 24 calls continue to direct all referrals to ED and not FNC

9.2 Recommendations

The majority of the group agree:

• <12s should not be included while the system is still working on the de minimis specification
• Under the current COVID19 surge of the pandemic the pathway should not be introduced to include <12s due to increased staffing pressures at FNCs and additional demand on NHS 24
• After the current COVID 19 surge passes, the pathway should be introduced to include <12s once the de minimis specification has been passed by all boards
• All boards will be required to confirm a readiness assessment based on the above specification providing safe and effective care
• The pathway will roll out nationally