Rapid Reconfiguration of Paediatric Services in a District General Hospital During COVID-19, Addressing Challenges, and Seeing Opportunities

Abstract

The scale, speed, and impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic disruption to healthcare services has been unprecedented, placing significant additional pressures on the National Health Service (NHS). COVID-19 presented exceptional challenges to vulnerable families and is placing increasing pressure on children’s services. The child population does not seem to have been severely impacted by COVID-19; however, some will require hospital care in addition to the current caseload. It is imperative that steps are taken to ensure continued delivery of urgent and emergency paediatric services and the associated maternity and neonatal services at local levels throughout the pandemic. A rapid reconfiguration of services was necessary when the pandemic reached the NHS. Healthcare services had to rethink how to deliver care in the short and medium term, better preparing them for future demands and ensuring that safe and effective care was maintained.