Dear All 

There are growing concerns amongst many paediatricians that children are presenting late to paediatric emergency departments due to worries about exposure to Covid-19 or not wanting to be a drain on NHS resources. Such delay may be life threatening for the child and also potentially increases the demand for critical care.

A note to our patients and families that paediatric emergency departments are safe and functioning well and that if they have serious concerns about their child’s health they should contact the GP and not be afraid to use the paediatric  emergency department when it is required.  

Where you have very vulnerable children with long term or recurrent respiratory problems and difficulties with chest clearance please do make sure they have an emergency care plan regarding who to call in the event of a deterioration and when they would need admission to hospital.
 
Thank you so much,

Dr Toni Wolff
BACD Chair