Foreword
This Emergency Care Framework builds on our commitments in Delivering for Health to improve the quality of care for children and young people in Scotland. They deserve the best possible care that we can provide, whether it is in a rural or urban area, in an appropriate setting, delivered by staff who have the necessary skills to treat them effectively.
The work undertaken by the Children and Young People's Health Support Group and Emergency Care Working Group led by Dr Tom Beattie represents the most extensive review ever undertaken of these services. This approach builds on the already existing network of services provided throughout Scotland and makes clear recommendations on how these services are planned and delivered in the future.
The action plan describes a clear and articulate way forward to deliver improvements in care. Importantly it describes the services that should be available throughout Scotland and the steps that Health Boards should take over the next three years to deliver the improvements highlighted in this document. The change process will be supported by an educational framework for all staff ensuring that they have the necessary skills and competencies to deliver care. This process will be led by NHS Education Scotland working with NHS Boards and Regional Planning Groups.
This document represents an important step in the Scottish Executive's commitments outlined in Delivering for Health to establish a health service for children and young people which is fit for the 21st Century.
Lewis MacDonald
Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care
This Emergency Care Framework represents the latest service action plan to deliver improvements in the way we provide care to our children and young people in Scotland. It has been through a very detailed development process led by Dr Tom Beattie and his colleagues and was incorporated in building a Health Service Fit for the Future and the Scottish Executive's response Delivering for Health.
The key messages made by carers, patients and staff during these exercises were that we need to ensure that staff have the core skills and competencies, care should be delivered in an appropriate environment and communication between different professionals and services has to be improved. We also have to recognise that much of the care provided to children and young people is provided not in specialist children's hospitals, but in the community by staff who deal mainly with adults in primary care settings or in hospital adult Accident and Emergency Departments.
In response to these issues the Children and Young People's Health Support Group has developed this Emergency Care Framework. To support the delivery of the action plan NHS Education Scotland has developed a core skills and competencies framework which will be rolled out over the next three years ensuring that all staff will be able to recognise and treat more effectively children and young people who present for care.
The action plan attached to this framework is challenging and the Children and Young People's Health Support Group will continue to work with the Scottish Executive, NHSScotland and people who use services to ensure it delivers the improvements in care we expect.
Malcolm Wright
Chair
Children and Young People's Health Support Group