World’s largest early warning system for severe child illness to launch in NHS A&Es across England
Summary
NHS England will introduce a paediatric early warning system in A&E departments across England this winter. The system scores children’s vital signs to help staff identify deterioration and decide when to escalate care, while preserving professional judgment and concerns raised by children and families.Key Facts
- The national paediatric early warning system, or Pews, assesses signs including blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, oxygen levels and consciousness.
- The A&E rollout will make Pews the world’s largest standardised scoring system, according to NHS England.
- Pews uses age-appropriate charts for babies, children and young people.
- A high score can alert staff to a child’s deterioration, but a low score does not prevent concerns from triggering an escalation of care.
- More than 6 million children attend A&E in England each year.
- More than 90 hospitals in England already use the inpatient Pews system.
- NHS England says data from hospitals using inpatient Pews show consistently lower rates of cardiac arrests among their patients.
- NHS England is separately developing urgent standards for children’s A&E care, with eliminating corridor care for children listed as a priority.
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