5 Staff from the North Mid hospital at home service We can care for acutely unwell children at home Parents have praised the North Mid Babies’ Children and Young People Hospital at Home service (BCYP H@H) saying it offers them the reassurance they need. One parent said: “Our son was treated for jaundice and we are so grateful this could be done at home, with the fantastic support from the hospital at home team. Every nurse that visited was professional and supportive and kept communicating with us regularly and the test results were delivered rapidly.” Another parent commented: “This was a service I was unaware of, so, when referred I didn’t know what to expect. However, it has exceeded my expectations. It gave me the reassurance I needed on the health of my child and meant I could keep my child at home in the comfort they are familiar with, which I believe aids recovery. A brilliant service.” The service, which deploys highly trained and experienced paediatric nurses, has now been running 21 months – it launched on 1 May 2023 at North Mid – and has shown that caring for acutely ill children in their homes, where they feel safest and are with their families, can be done to the highest of standards. What started as a three-bed virtual ward, has steadily grown and is due expand further to become a 16-bed operation within the next few weeks. The service sees babies, children and young people aged between 0 to 16 (and 16-18 years old with complex needs) living in Haringey and Enfield. Amongst other things the nurses are able to administer antibiotics, as well as treat respiratory conditions and other illnesses such as gastroenteritis. This is a formidable group of nurses “ “ Since the service began there have been continual incremental changes. The catchment area has increased, as well as the number of conditions treated. Referrals are now accepted from the ED, the paediatric assessment unit, Rainbow ward (a children’s ward), the postnatal ward, the special care baby unit, North Mid community midwives, as well as from other north central London wards and local GPs. The service has now treated more than 1,350 patients since its launch. The majority of patients were treated for febrile illness (fever) and asthma, and at least 13% of the total were newborn babies being treated for infection or jaundice. Malvina Benitez-Castillo, matron of the service, said: “This is a formidable group of nurses dedicated to compassionate care in the community. They have been incredibly committed, adaptive and patient, working collaboratively to tweak the process.”
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