Care pathways for common acute conditions - Luton and Dunstable Hospital

This page provides a best practice example for standard 10 of Facing the Future: Together for child health standards, which describes the clinical assessment tools used in Luton as common pathways for conditions in emergency care. The tools have been embedded in practice to increase confidence in clinical assessment and reduce inappropriate referrals.

Standard 10: Acute general children's services work together with local primary care and community services to develop care pathways for common acute conditions.

Model

  • In 2015, seven common conditions presenting to urgent and emergency care settings were identified and pathways were developed for each: fever, bronchiolitis, gastroenteritis, asthma, head injury, seizure and abdominal pain.
  • All clinical assessment tools are reviewed annually or when new guidance is available.
  • Parent advice leaflets were developed alongside the clinical assessment tools; these are available in written format, on local websites and social media.
  • The tools have been embedded through education events.
  • Referral criteria to Luton's Children's Rapid Response Team is underpinned by the clinical assessment tools, which operates in the community and is clinically led by nurse practitioners. Clinicians must identify whether the child is red, amber or green on the pathway. 

Contact for further information

Luton and Dunstable University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge Community Services and Luton Clinical Commissioning Group

Lynn Fanning, Children's Community Nurse Practitioner, Luton Children's Rapid Response Team - lynn.fanning@nhs.net