Tommy Gillman
4 Apr 2024 · Coroner Elizabeth Didcock · Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire
The coroner's concerns
1. insufficient paediatric nursing staff in emergency department
“At times of high pressure and business, the Paediatric nursing complement is insufficient in the Emergency Department. There are inexperienced Paediatric nurses trying to manage a very high workload, without senior nurse support to try and increase staffing levels on a shift. The Facing the Future (RCPCH) standards for levels of Paediatric nursing are not met.”
2. inadequate handover documentation and task allocation
“Handovers and key conversations between staff, both nursing and medical staff, in ED and with Paediatric staff are not routinely documented, and outcomes from handovers and escalations do not result in clear action plans and allocated tasks”
3. non-robust illness recognition system for babies
“The system for recognising an ill baby in Paediatric ED is not robust- from the point of attendance, through timely triage, timely escalation, and joint assessment by senior ED and Paediatric staff”
Responses
2024-0185-Response-from-Sherwood-Forest-Hospitals-NHS-Foundation-Trust.pdf ↗· Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Stated action · October 2024
“The following mitigations are in place in line with CQC guidance: - A profile of when children and young people attend the ED over a 1-year period has been obtained to ensure that RNC's are rostered on at peak times. - A minimum set of core competencies that adult nurses must have completed prior to caring for a child or young person has been agreed as follows: a. Minimum of 18 months post registration experience b. Completion of paediatric intermediate life support training c. Completion of the”