A dedicated A&E unit for children
‘It’s a much nicer environment for younger patients’
A hospital trust has unveiled a dedicated children’s accident and emergency department – the first of its kind in Kent.
Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) has created the new unit at Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury.
It has seven bays, a waiting room, breast-feeding area and is dedicated solely to patients under the age of 16. Overall these patients make up about 14% of all patients seen at the trust’s A&Es.
Hospital bosses expect about 1,500 children at the new A&E each month.
The news comes after a recent audit by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine found almost a third of UK emergency departments were putting children at risk because not enough hospitals were properly recording checks that could alert doctors to a sudden deterioration in a child patient.
MTW participated in the audit, but it is not known whether its departments were among those highlighted.
Matron Stella Davey said: “We hope this new facility will enhance and improve the services we currently provide for our younger patients and their families, and allow us to ensure they receive the best possible care in the most efficient way.
“To help run the unit 24/7, we have additional paediatric trained nurses, nursery nurses and consultant paediatricians.”
The Tunbridge Wells Hospital League of Friends and local charity Emilia’s Little Heart have donated wall stickers, chairs and storage to the unit, to help make the environment more child-friendly, and A&E staff are undertaking a number of charity events to raise money for more distraction equipment and toys.
Chief executive Glenn Douglas said: “It’s a much nicer environment for our younger patients to be treated in and will mean we can provide the best possible service in the most efficient way.
“I would like to thank the staff that have worked tirelessly to get the unit up and running.”
Other hospitals currently providing a dedicated children’s A&E include St Mary’s Hospital and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, both in London.