Childhood injuries (health and wellbeing needs in South Tyneside)

During the production of this Needs Assessment the views of A&E staff were sought. The author visited the A& E department at South Tyneside District Hospital to elicit their views about the data. The staff narratives focussed more on the attendances rather than admissions.

The staff made the following comments:

• In terms of injuries, the staff had no concerns about intentional injuries to the under 5s. They felt that generally, the children attending A&E were injured as a normal part of growing up and exploring. They stated that children are generally injured in unfamiliar setting such as shops / cafes.
• The staff felt that staff working with young people were generally well informed about first aid and weren't sending children inappropriately.
• The staff discussed the threshold used during 111 calls. They felt that people were presenting at A&E inappropriately after being sent by 111. They felt some work could be done about these thresholds.
• Staff explained that parents bring their children to A&E as a result of not being able to access their G.P in a timely manner. They also described incidents where G.Ps or Practice staff had advised them to attend A&E inappropriately.
• Staff expressed concerns about young people being admitted to A&E following alcohol or substance misuse. They explained that substances go in and out of trends whereas alcohol remains a constant. The staff did say that prom season/ end of school year time was particularly busy.
• A&E staff described a rise in young people who self-harm or self-poison with an intent to harm. They mentioned young people's mental health as a general concern for numbers being admitted.
• Another interesting point which was not captured in any of the above information was that of passive smoking. Staff described young people being admitted to hospital for respiratory issues following exposure to second hand smoke.
• As another interesting point, staff expressed concerns about childhood obesity. As part of the process of administering medication- children need to be weighed. The staff explained that they felt this was a missed opportunity for a teachable moment with children who were overweight or obese.