Levels of care in hospital
There are minimum nurse staffing levels required for the care of your child with a primary immunodeficiency or any other condition when they are in hospital.
Children and young people must receive care, treatment and support by staff registered by the Nursing and Midwifery Council on the parts of its register that permit a nurse to work with children (Outcome 14h Essential standards of quality and safety) (Care Quality Commission, London 2010). This includes:
- the need for at least two registered children’s nurses on duty 24 hours a day in all hospital departments and wards
- the need for a registered children’s nurse available 24 hours a day to advise on nursing of children in other departments.
All staff who work with children and young people must be appropriately trained to provide care, treatment and support for children, including Children’s Workforce Development Council Induction Standards (Outcome 14b Essential standards of quality and safety) (Care Quality Commission, London 2010). This includes:
- Staff must carry out sufficient levels of activity to maintain their competence in caring for young children and young people.
- All paediatric patients should have access to appropriately trained paediatric trained dieticians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, psychologists, social workers, and child and adolescent mental health services within nationally defined access standards.
- All children and young people should have access to a professional who can undertake an assessment using the common assessment framework and access support from social care, housing, education and other agencies as appropriate.
- Many children with long-term illnesses have a learning or physical disability. Providers should ensure that:
- they are supported to have a health action plan
- facilities meet the appropriate requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995
- they meet the standards set out in ‘Transition: getting it right for young people. Improving the transition of young people with long-term conditions from children’s to adult health services’ (Department of Health Publications, London 2006).
