Paediatric outreach team
The paediatric outreach team provide expert clinical care and leadership for acutely unwell or deteriorating children and young people (from 0 to 18 years). Our team are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, across the hospital. We make sure patients receive the best possible care at the earliest point.
Our team is made up of experienced nurses who are working towards or have completed a level 7 (MSc) pathway to become a paediatric advanced practitioner.
The team has four main roles:
Identify and manage deterioration
We provide a rapid response for children who are becoming more unwell. We will assess, investigate, diagnose and prescribe medication to try to keep a child stable on the ward they are on, or help to get them moved to paediatric intensive care (PICU) if required. You can find out more about PICU here.
Support emergency care
We attend all paediatric emergency calls (2222) across the hospital, supporting nurses and medical teams in all areas to provide emergency care where required.
Education and training
Our team delivers regular bedside teaching and more formal education to the wider team on ward study days, and regular teaching sessions across the Children’s Hospital.
Working in partnership
We work alongside members of the wider team across the hospital, caring for acutely unwell or deteriorating children, ensuring the right people are in the right place at the right time.
When would you see the paediatric outreach team?
Escalation of care
When a child’s observations (such as heart rate or breathing rate) change outside of the normal limits.
Nursing or medical concern
If the ward nursing or medical teams are concerned that a child on a ward is deteriorating (becoming more unwell).
Post PICU discharge
All children who leave PICU will have a follow up review on the ward or high dependency area, to ensure a smooth and safe transition.
Specialised treatments
The team will support nursing and medical staff with more complex management on the wards.
Martha's Rule (Call for Concern)
Call for Concern© (C4C) is an inpatient safety service, and is part of Martha's Rule. It provides patients and families with a simple process to call for help when they feel that a patient is deteriorating and this hasn't been addressed by the team on the ward.
Call for Concern is a dedicated 24/7 rapid response service. The paediatric outreach team will review all patients where there has been a Call for Concern that is related to clinical deterioration.
Find out more about Martha's Rule and Call for Concern here.
Contact details for non-emergencies
Please email paediatricoutreachteam@uhs.nhs.uk