NHS Lothian has taken a step forward in boosting the medical team in paediatric inpatient services at St John’s Hospital, Livingston. A consultant recruited at the end of last year has now joined the team and the most recent recruitment campaign, which ended on 9 January, has also proved successful – an offer has been made to another candidate, which when finalised, would take the total to seven.
NHS Lothian is working to recruit eight additional consultants as well as developing the number of Advanced Nurse Practitioners in order to support children’s services across the region, both in St John’s and in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh.
Jacquie Campbell, Chief Officer of Acute Services, NHS Lothian, said the latest additions would not immediately solve the issues around staffing, but was a step in the right direction. She said: “We last updated in October and we are really keen that families and patients know exactly what is happening in paediatric services in St John’s Hospital.
“This is a really positive move. We have our sixth consultant joining the team and we have made an offer to another clinician which means that seven new consultant posts have now been filled, despite a very challenging recruitment picture across the UK .
“So far we have been unable to provide sufficient staffing cover to ensure patients receive a safe service overnight. These new appointments are a step in the right direction, but we are not in a position to provide a safe and stable working rota yet.
“I know this is frustrating for patients and families, but we are committed to the children’s ward and this has been demonstrated by the significant and on-going investment we have made into recruitment.”
The latest update comes after the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) published a second review into the service in October and warned there was no “quick fix” to the fragile rota.
The expert body also endorsed NHS Lothian’s decision to temporarily suspend inpatient services in order to maintain safe facilities for children and it said the service should only resume once the extra staff are recruited or trained.
The Paediatric Programme Board, which was appointed two years ago to oversee and decide how best to implement the findings of the original report, is working with clinicians and other staff to address the recommendations from the follow-up report.
The current arrangements for inpatient children’s services do not require parents to do an anything differently. Most of the children who currently attend the unit will continue to be cared for as normal. They will either be referred by their GP for an urgent medical opinion or attend with a pre-arranged appointment for treatment, assessment, tests or minor day surgery.
Children will still be assessed and treated in the Emergency Department at St John’s Hospital at night and weekends as well as through the day. A paediatric consultant will be available on-call 24/7. If a child needs to be admitted to hospital a transfer to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh, will be arranged. Maternity and neonatal services at the hospital are unaffected.
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