§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were in hospital over the Christmas period in each year since 1997; and what guidance is issued to the NHS on celebrating Christmas in hospitals. [143704]
§ Dr. LadymanThe number of children in hospital at Christmas in each year since 1997 is shown in the table. Only children discharged within the same year have been counted. Those who are still in hospital on 1 April after Christmas are not included.
881W
Children in hospital at Christmas, age on admission 0–17 years. Date of admission on or before 25 December, date of discharge on or after 25 December Count at in year discharges NHS hospitals, England 1997–98 to 2002–03 Discharges 1997–98 10,069 1998–99 10,991 1999–2000 10,491 2000–01 10,026 2001–02 10,202 2002–03 10,439 Notes:
1. Discharges: A discharge episode is the last episode during a spell, where the patient is discharged from the hospital (this includes transfer to another hospital).
2. Grossing: Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data, except for 2001–02 and 2002–03 which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.
Guidance on the treatment of children in hospital was issued in April in the form of the national service framework (NSF) for children on hospital standards. This is available at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/nsf/ children/hospitalstandard.pdf. The NSF follows on from earlier guidance issued in 1991 on 'The Welfare of Children and Young People in Hospital'.
In general, the cardinal principles underlying this guidance provide that:
children are admitted to hospital only where the health care they require cannot be provided in their own home and community;when it is necessary to admit children to hospital, they are admitted for the shortest time possible, commensurate with the time necessary for treatment and recovery prior to discharge;the hospital environment is child friendly and hospital services take full account of childrens' needs for emotional support and recreation. These needs are of great importance in childhood, particularly at times like Christmas.