intravenous or intramuscular antibiotics for no longer than five days
post-measles exposure prophylaxis HNIG injections
What happens after discharge from hospital?
Following discharge, your child will be referred to the PATCH team by the hospital medical team, GP or midwife. The team will contact you either on the day of discharge or the following morning to arrange an appointment.
For discharges that take place in the evening, contact will be made the next morning, as the service operates until 6pm.
If the team is unable to see your child within the necessary timeframe due to caseload capacity, we will organise follow-up at the place your child was discharged from, such as the Children’s Ward or the Emergency Department.
Telephone assessment
A nurse will call to assess your child’s current condition and progress. You will need to be with your child during the call, as we will ask questions to help understand how they are doing.
We can also offer advice and answer any questions you may have.
Home visit
One or two nurses may visit your child at home for a clinical review and to check their progress. We will call to arrange a time and check a few details with you in the morning.
The nursing team will give you a timeframe for the visit and update you if we need to change the visit time.
During the visit we may:
check observations such as heart rate, oxygen levels, breathing rate and temperature
listen to and assess your child’s chest if they were discharged with breathing difficulties
administer intravenous medication if your child was discharged from hospital on antibiotics
assess eating and drinking
take blood samples if required
check inhaler technique and support with wheeze plans
provide education, advice and support about managing your child’s diagnosis
explain warning signs and when to seek further medical advice
We will ask questions about how your child has been and answer any questions you have. If a follow-up visit or phone call is needed, we can organise this while we are with you.
All visits and telephone conversations will be documented in your child’s medical records.
What happens once my child is better?
Your child will be discharged from the PATCH team and a letter will be sent to update their GP.
We will also let any other professionals involved in your child’s care know we have visited, such as a health visitor or social worker.
About the team
Our team is made up of experienced paediatric nurses who support you and your child while they are unwell.
We aim to prevent children from being admitted to hospital, or having a prolonged hospital stay, by carrying out their care at home. We do this by assessing and treating children at home, or by providing support over the phone.
We liaise with referring clinicians, such as GPs or hospital doctors, about your child’s care.
Other sources of advice
Healthier Together provides advice on common childhood illnesses, including warning signs and when to seek urgent medical advice.
We may share your child’s information between relevant professionals to enable us to provide the best care for them. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please speak to a member of staff.
Additional advice
You can also seek advice from:
your local pharmacy
your GP
NHS 111
A&E in an emergency
In an emergency, please take your child to the nearest A&E or phone 999 for an ambulance.
