NHS England rolls out A&E early warning system for sick children
NHS England is introducing a scoring system in A&E departments in England to help staff spot deteriorating sick children faster, with concerns from parents and carers also triggering escalation.
How it was covered
- ITV carried 84% of the airtime and concentrated on parental concerns, corridor care and the Health Secretary's response.
- Channel 5 concentrated on the scoring system and who can trigger escalation.
- BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4 and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
- BBC News and GB News: covered online, not found on air.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
A new early warning system is being introduced in A&E departments across England to help staff spot when a sick child's health is deteriorating. It uses a scoring system for vital signs to assess whether a child needs more urgent attention. Concerns from hospital staff, parents, carers or the child themselves will trigger an immediate escalation of care.
ITV reported that NHS bosses have announced plans to protect children admitted to A&E. It said NHS England is adopting an early warning system that is already used on hospital wards so doctors and nurses can assess vital signs in A&E, including oxygen levels, blood pressure and heart rate. A high score means the child needs urgent action.
ITV's health correspondent Rebecca Barry said the parent voice is important. Even if a child scores lowly, concerns raised by a parent or carer should still lead to escalation, she said. ITV also reported that last month it interviewed the parents of two-year-old Finlay Roberts, who spent hours in a busy A&E corridor shortly before he died.
ITV News reported that thousands of children a year are being treated in NHS corridors and waiting rooms. ITV reported that, after its investigation, the Health Secretary told Parliament she would tackle the problem as an urgent priority. Yvette Cooper said the new system is one measure to make children's health a priority and that she has asked the NHS to draw up urgent plans to end corridor care for children. ITV noted the change comes as the NHS prepares for another busy winter, with A&E pressures now year round.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 2 channels | ||
| A new early warning system is being introduced in A&E departments across England to identify children whose condition is deteriorating dangerously. | ||
| Concerns raised by hospital staff, parents, carers or the child themselves trigger an immediate escalation of care. | Reported by ITV | |
| The system uses a vital-signs scoring system to assess whether a child needs more urgent attention. | ||
| Only on one channel | ||
| Health Secretary Yvette Cooper told Parliament she would tackle children's corridor care as an urgent priority, described the early warning system as one measure to prioritise children's health, and asked the NHS to draw up urgent plans to end corridor care for children. | Not reported by Channel 5 | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Channel 5 gave the story a brief, factual slot in a lunchtime bulletin. It focused on how the scoring system works and on the range of people whose concerns can trigger escalation, without the case study, investigation or ministerial comment carried by ITV.
- “The new early warning systems to spot when sick children are dangerously deteriorating is being introduced in A&E departments across England.”
- “It uses a scoring system for vital signs to assess whether a child needs more urgent attention.”
- “Concerns from hospital staff, parents, carers or the child themselves will trigger an immediate escalation of care.”
ITV1 treated the announcement as a follow-up to its own investigation into children being cared for in A&E corridors. It combined the policy detail with the case of Finlay Roberts, the parent voice and Yvette Cooper's response, and placed the change in the context of year-round A&E pressure.
- “NHS bosses have announced plans to protect children admitted to A&E.”
- “Concerned parents can also prompt action.”
- “She also says that she has asked the NHS to draw up urgent plans to put an end to corridor care for children.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.