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CHILDREN’S PALLIATIVE care in Wales receives ‘insufficient national strategic attention’ with clinicians including nurses left feeling they are working ‘against the odds’, a major report concludes. The 38-page report, published by the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care and commissioned by palliative care charity Tyˆ Hafan, calls for an ‘increase in pace’ towards delivering sustainable change to children’s palliative care. It makes seven recommendations, such as giving children’s palliative care the same status as that for adults. This could be achieved, the report suggests, by either strengthening the membership of the current end of life implementation board to represent children’s needs more effectively, or by establishing a separate paediatric palliative care implementation board. Other recommendations include: developing regional plans to improve services, with health boards publishing annual progress updates; setting up a 24/7 telephone advice service on symptom control for health professionals; and establishing child-focused performance measures. An estimated 1,050 children in Wales require specialist paediatric palliative care and around 10% of these will die in any one year. But, according to the report, the relatively small numbers in need of care has resulted in their needs becoming subsumed within adult palliative and end of life care. Specialist nurses interviewed as part of the research reported that they were not allowed by managers to work outside their geographical area or outside duties set out in their job descriptions, making it difficult for them to maximise their potential benefits of working more closely together. The transition from children’s to adult services was difficult, they said,. Find out more For further information read the report at tinyurl.com/Ty-Hafan-report 6
October 2015 | Volume 27 | Number 8
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Charity calls on Wales to focus on palliative care
MenB vaccination programme will ‘save lives’ A NEW vaccination programme against meningococcal group B (MenB) disease will ‘save lives’ and ‘prevent permanent disability’, according to Public Health England’s head of immunisation Mary Ramsay. The MenB vaccination was added to the NHS Childhood Immunisation Programme in England last month and will see the vaccine given to babies at two months, four months and 12-13 months alongside other routine vaccinations. MenB remains the most common cause of invasive meningococcal disease in England,
Epilepsy passport issued for young people across UK AN EPILEPSY passport for children detailing their core medical history will improve sharing of patient information and could reduce emergency department (ED) attendances, according to a nurse who helped to develop the initiative. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health launched the UK-wide epilepsy passport for children last month. The four-page page booklet includes information on the type of seizures and epilepsy the child has, his or her medication, allergies and rescue medication, drugs to avoid, and contacts for clinicians overseeing the child’s care.
being responsible for 400 cases in 2014 and 535 cases in 2013, mainly in infants and young children. Peak incidence of MenB is around five months of age. Dr Ramsay said: ‘This vaccine will help to save lives and prevent permanent disability.’ ‘Bexsero has a good safety record but Public Health England is also making parents aware of an increased risk of fever when the vaccine is given alongside other immunisations and the need to purchase infant liquid paracetamol for the two and four month appointment visits,’ she added. The booklet is completed by medical staff or epilepsy specialist nurses and carried by the child. Clinical nurse specialist in paediatric epilepsies at Nottingham Children’s Hospital Ann Brown is the RCN representative on the project. She said: ‘We hope the passport is the go-to in an emergency when a child has a seizure. It should make information exchange speedier, safer and more accurate, leading to better outcomes for the patient.’ About 5-10% of ED attendances by children a year are seizure related and 60,000 children are estimated to have the condition in the UK. Ms Brown added: ‘Better communication will help ensure a child with epilepsy is receiving the most appropriate treatment and is ultimately kept seizure-free and out of emergency departments.’ NURSING CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
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CHILDREN’S PALLIATIVE care in Wales receives ‘insufficient national strategic attention’ with clinicians including nurses left feeling they are working ‘against the odds’, a major report concludes. The 38-page report, published by the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care and commissioned by palliative care charity Tyˆ Hafan, calls for an ‘increase in pace’ towards delivering sustainable change to children’s palliative care. It makes seven recommendations, such as giving children’s palliative care the same status as that for adults. This could be achieved, the report suggests, by either strengthening the membership of the current end of life implementation board to represent children’s needs more effectively, or by establishing a separate paediatric palliative care implementation board. Other recommendations include: developing regional plans to improve services, with health boards publishing annual progress updates; setting up a 24/7 telephone advice service on symptom control for health professionals; and establishing child-focused performance measures. An estimated 1,050 children in Wales require specialist paediatric palliative care and around 10% of these will die in any one year. But, according to the report, the relatively small numbers in need of care has resulted in their needs becoming subsumed within adult palliative and end of life care. Specialist nurses interviewed as part of the research reported that they were not allowed by managers to work outside their geographical area or outside duties set out in their job descriptions, making it difficult for them to maximise their potential benefits of working more closely together. The transition from children’s to adult services was difficult, they said,. Find out more For further information read the report at tinyurl.com/Ty-Hafan-report 6
October 2015 | Volume 27 | Number 8
iStock
Charity calls on Wales to focus on palliative care
MenB vaccination programme will ‘save lives’ A NEW vaccination programme against meningococcal group B (MenB) disease will ‘save lives’ and ‘prevent permanent disability’, according to Public Health England’s head of immunisation Mary Ramsay. The MenB vaccination was added to the NHS Childhood Immunisation Programme in England last month and will see the vaccine given to babies at two months, four months and 12-13 months alongside other routine vaccinations. MenB remains the most common cause of invasive meningococcal disease in England,
Epilepsy passport issued for young people across UK AN EPILEPSY passport for children detailing their core medical history will improve sharing of patient information and could reduce emergency department (ED) attendances, according to a nurse who helped to develop the initiative. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health launched the UK-wide epilepsy passport for children last month. The four-page page booklet includes information on the type of seizures and epilepsy the child has, his or her medication, allergies and rescue medication, drugs to avoid, and contacts for clinicians overseeing the child’s care.
being responsible for 400 cases in 2014 and 535 cases in 2013, mainly in infants and young children. Peak incidence of MenB is around five months of age. Dr Ramsay said: ‘This vaccine will help to save lives and prevent permanent disability.’ ‘Bexsero has a good safety record but Public Health England is also making parents aware of an increased risk of fever when the vaccine is given alongside other immunisations and the need to purchase infant liquid paracetamol for the two and four month appointment visits,’ she added. The booklet is completed by medical staff or epilepsy specialist nurses and carried by the child. Clinical nurse specialist in paediatric epilepsies at Nottingham Children’s Hospital Ann Brown is the RCN representative on the project. She said: ‘We hope the passport is the go-to in an emergency when a child has a seizure. It should make information exchange speedier, safer and more accurate, leading to better outcomes for the patient.’ About 5-10% of ED attendances by children a year are seizure related and 60,000 children are estimated to have the condition in the UK. Ms Brown added: ‘Better communication will help ensure a child with epilepsy is receiving the most appropriate treatment and is ultimately kept seizure-free and out of emergency departments.’ NURSING CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Jul 29, 2016. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2016 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
