Huge Surge in Children’s Hospital Admissions in the US and UK - How We Can Help!
Hospitals across the world are currently dealing with unprecedented pressure as hospital admissions soar this winter. As you would have read in our previous blog, hospitals are struggling for capacity. Emergency departments are overrun due to a surge in respiratory illnesses (COVID-19, RSV, flu) and Strep A on top of all the common non-seasonal major and minor ailments. Sadly, many of these patients are children.
Milton Keynes Hospital in the UK has stated that the number of hospital visits for children is twice as high this year as it normally is over winter. The increase in children’s hospital admissions can be accounted for due to these respiratory viruses and Strep A. In fact, the hospital is seeing ~100 children attend the children’s emergency department per day, according to BBC News. The hospital is having to resort to using overflow areas to increase capacity.
Similarly, the US is seeing a surge in hospital admissions for children under five due to respiratory viruses, according to The Guardian. The US has been hit especially hard with a surge in RSV, a respiratory virus that affects the lungs and breathing passages. Newborn hospitalisations due to RSV are seven times higher than that in 2018. This is putting extra pressure on hospitals across the US, with more than three-quarters of paediatric beds full.
Here at KwickScreen we are keen to help hospitals across the world with winter pressures and the surge in the number of young patients. Our KwickScreens can be used to create additional flexible and hygienic patient spaces quickly to increase capacity. KwickScreens are regularly used as privacy partitions between beds, however they have many other uses, including:
Providing privacy and dignity to patients whilst they are stationed in corridors.
Creating more space in emergency departments.
Increasing capacity in infusion/dialysis spaces.
Space partitioning in waiting rooms.
Our shields are also commonly used for hospital waiting rooms to prevent the spread of infections between patients. This is particularly pertinent given the spike in respiratory illnesses.
The best thing about the screens and shields is that they can be printed with artwork of your choice. We have a choice of paediatric prints in our artwork catalogue or you can choose your own design. Being admitted to hospital is daunting for everyone, never mind children. Therefore, introducing the colourful paediatric prints into the Children’s emergency departments and wards can make the environment significantly more welcoming and less scary. Here are some examples of Pro units with paediatric prints at Evelina Children’s Hospital and our shields with paediatric prints for the Children’s emergency department of QEQM Hospital in Margate. The shields have been placed in a former clinical room acting as a waiting room to increase capacity for the surge in children emergency cases. If we can help your young patients and increase the capacity of your children’s units, please feel free to get in touch.
