IHRD-10 Response Accepted

Age-Appropriate Hospital Settings

Recommendation

Health and Social Care ('HSC') Trusts should publish policy and procedure for ensuring that children and young people are cared for in age-appropriate hospital settings.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts have published policies and procedures to ensure children and young people are cared for in age-appropriate hospital settings (Govt response, 2018-03-01). The Department of Health NI's Implementation Programme reported this recommendation as completed by January 2024, a status confirmed by independent evidence in February 2026, which noted that practical paediatric care standards, including age-appropriate settings, have generally been implemented across HSC Trusts.
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 24 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.health-ni.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
This recommendation requires implementation across many organisations. The assessment reflects central policy response, not adoption in individual organisations.
Jurisdiction
Northern Ireland
Response
Accepted
Accepted HSC Trusts Initial Response
01 Mar 2018

Trusts have published policies on age-appropriate care settings for children and young people.

Read Full Response
Accepted Northern Ireland Executive Follow-up
01 Mar 2018

Family involvement protocols established. Guidance issued on meaningful engagement with families throughout investigation processes.

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Published Evidence

Published assessments of implementation progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Check the source type badge to see whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.

Confirmed Completed
06 Feb 2026
HSC Trusts Other

Trusts have published policies on age-appropriate care settings for children and young people.

View detailed findings

The practical paediatric care standards in recommendations 10-20 have generally been implemented across HSC Trusts. Policies on age-appropriate hospital settings, transfer protocols, consultant-led ward rounds, senior paediatric oversight, bedside name displays, and care plan documentation are now in place.

IHRD Implementation Programme - Workstream 4 View Source
Source
Report Report of the Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-related Deaths 31 Jan 2018
Responsible Bodies
HSC Trusts Primary
Northern Ireland Executive Primary
Recommendation age 8.1 yrs
Last formal update 784 days ago