Written question asked by Julie Kirkbride (Conservative) on Tuesday, 22 November 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 24 November 2005. It was answered by Liam Byrne (Labour) on Wednesday, 7 December 2005 on behalf of the Department of Health.

A&E Departments

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what risk assessment she has undertaken of major accident and emergency departments functioning without the back-up of a paediatrics department on same site.

Answer: Assessment and resuscitation procedures for children are available in all major accident and emergency units. Where children requiring hospital admission attend an accident and emergency unit that does not have a paediatrics department on site, the unit will initiate care and arrange transfer to an appropriate department. This procedure addresses risks associated with failing to achieve best outcome, where staff might otherwise undertake specialised paediatric interventions with which they are unfamiliar.There is a consultation currently in progress, ““The acutely or critically sick or injured child in the district general hospital””, which is accessible on the Department's website at http://www.dh.gov.uk/Consultations/fs/en. The consultation document makes explicit recommendations about the competencies needed in a paediatric resuscitation team and those needed for stabilisation of the critically ill or injured child.

Secondary information