Essex

Concerns summary A lack of national guidelines exists for assessing paediatric heart conditions like myocarditis, coupled with insufficient awareness of Parvovirus. Locally, critical radiology reports were delayed, metabolic acidosis causes were not fully explored, and documentation of observations and handovers was incomplete.

Concerns summary Sepsis was not recognised or managed correctly, consultant review was delayed and hampered by poor communication, and junior staff felt unable to challenge decisions, leading to critical omissions in care.

Concerns summary Mental health ward staff lacked neurodiversity training and were inexperienced, leading to insufficient staffing, missed patient observations, and incorrect medication charting.

Concerns summary Ambulance service triage for Acute Behavioural Disturbance suffered from incorrect call categorisation and confusing, inconsistent training. Police training for Special Constables on ABD recognition also needs addressing.