RCPCH Officer for Health Services, Dr Ronny Cheung, said:
Childhood is a brief but profoundly important time in our lives. As a paediatrician, it is deeply distressing that so many children are spending months or even years in hospital because the support required for them to go home just isn’t in place.
If the government is serious about moving care from hospital to the community, it must address the patchy and insufficient provision of social, housing and community care that stops children and young people being safely discharged home. This worrying trend is not only terrible for the children and families impacted but also adds further pressure to the paediatric workforce and the wider NHS.
We strongly support the recommendations laid out by the Children’s Commissioner and urge Government to act, so children can get the right support where they need it and avoid unnecessary hospital stays.