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:
Government reports this recommendation as delivered. Implementation status based on Department of Health NI Implementation Programme updates.
Sources
Government response (2018-03-01): Accepted Source: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/topics/ihrd-implementation-programme Text: Trusts have published policies on age-appropriate care settings for children and young people. Government response (2018-03-01): Accepted Source: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/topics/ihrd-implementation-programme Text: Family involvement protocols established. Guidance issued on meaningful engagement with families throughout investigation processes. Progress update (2024-01-31): Completed Implementation status based on Department of Health NI Implementation Programme updates. Note: This tracks key recommendations
full inquiry had 96 recommendations requiring 120 actions. Source: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/topics/ihrd-implementation-programme
How was this evidence gathered?
Evidence searched by baseline-data-v1 on 26 May 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.health-ni.gov.uk
This recommendation applies across many organisations. The evidence above reflects central policy activity; adoption in individual organisations may vary.
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.

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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 progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates 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
Inquiry Hyponatraemia Inquiry
Report Report of the Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-related Deaths 31 Jan 2018
View Source
Responsible Bodies
Northern Ireland Executive Primary
HSC Trusts Primary
Themes & Tags
No person-centred care Patient dignity and privacy Paediatrics Hospital Settings Policy Family Engagement Investigation Transparency
Recommendation age 8.3 yrs
Last formal update 852 days ago