The concerned parent carer of a disabled young person encourages people to plan ahead and shares her solution with us
Kate (not her real name but a real life situation) was very concerned about the prospect of her disabled son being admitted alone to hospital in the future with Covid-19. The thought of not being able to accompany her son due to illness, or not being allowed access to him because of hospital protocol, filled her with anxiety.
Kate decided to prepare a Core Information for Emergency Hospital Admission sheet which outlines the key information that hospital staff would need to know to support her son. Kate received feedback from 10 parent/carers of children and young people with disabilities, all of whom felt it was a very good idea. Kate then sought feedback from a medical clinician who confirmed that all the most important information is included on the sheet and that the tips were really useful, especially laminating and photographing the information. He confirmed that the information Kate included would be very important to the team and would facilitate appropriate care.
NICE published their Covid-19 rapid guideline for critical care on 25 March 2020. The purpose of this guideline is to maximise the safety of patients who need critical care during the pandemic, whilst protecting staff from infection.
All Kate wants is that her precious son is cared for in the right way and that her initiative helps even one child, young person, adult or elderly loved one if they are admitted to hospital.
“Please complete a Core Information for Emergency Hospital Admission sheet for your loved one if they have specific care and support needs”
You can use the links below to view or download Kate’s Core Information for Emergency Hospital Admission sheet (anonymised example) and Core Information Sheet tips which we also feature below.
Top tips for completing a Core Information Sheet
Core Information for Emergency Hospital Admission
Tips for completing core information sheet
- ACT NOW in case the people who know the child/young person/person become unwell. Gather all the key information which could help in an emergency situation
- Try to include a second contact so that the hospital has alternative contacts for any further information they may need
- If you do not know your child/young person/person’s weight – weigh them now and include this information to help medical staff work out the levels of medication they may need. Having this information to hand will save time in an emergency
- Include ALL medication that the child/young person/person takes
- Fill in the How to keep me and others safe as if the child/young person/person you support is not being supported by you or another familiar adult
- You can add a One Page Profile/likes/dislikes/communication guidelines to the back. Remember the front sheet is CORE INFORMATION to help hospital staff to support an individual in an emergency situation
- Include name of person and their relationship to the supporter who has filled in the sheet
- Highlight the most important information, for example if you have an allergy
- LAMINATE your sheet if possible (or put in A4 plastic sleeve) – this is so it can be disinfected
- If you are a parent you can take a photo of the sheet so it is available on your phone