IHRD-15 Response Accepted Self-assessed

Consultant Notification on Admission

Recommendation

A consultant fixed with responsibility for a child patient upon an unscheduled admission should be informed promptly of that responsibility and kept informed of the patient's condition, to ensure senior clinical involvement and leadership.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
According to independent evidence from February 2026, protocols for promptly informing the consultant responsible for a child patient upon an unscheduled admission, and keeping them informed of the patient's condition, have been implemented across Health and Social Care (HSC) Trusts. This ensures senior clinical involvement and leadership, as accepted by the government in March 2018. The Department of Health NI Implementation Programme updates indicated a 'Completed' status as of January 2024, and independent evidence from February 2026 stated that practical paediatric care standards in recommendations 10-20 have generally been implemented.
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 19 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
01 Mar 2018

Protocols implemented for consultant notification on unscheduled paediatric admissions.

Read Full Response
Source
Report Report of the Inquiry into Hyponatraemia-related Deaths 31 Jan 2018
Responsible Bodies
HSC Trusts Primary
Recommendation age 8.1 yrs
Last formal update 783 days ago