Poole Hospital consultant on children's care challenges

On the evening of Wednesday, December 14, close to 40 children entered the emergency department at Poole Hospital for a range of health concerns – described as a “real rarity” by members of staff.

On call consultant paediatrician Dr Mark Tighe rushed to the hospital and began seeing children in ED, transferring some of them to the children’s unit in order ease the pressure.

For Mark and his colleagues, recent weeks have presented unique challenges in identifying children with the prominent Strep A infection and making difficult decisions on who they admit into their care.

Dr Mark Tighe, clinical director of paediatrics at Poole Hospital. (Image: NICE)

He told the Echo: “We’ve seen a significant spike in RSV – so in babies under six weeks of age or with breathing or heart difficulties, they’re more likely to need incubation and ventilation and to go to our intensive care unit in Southampton.

“Our ITUs nationally are full so trying to work out what do with our sick babies presents a real challenge.

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“Strep A is the interesting one in the mix. It can make some children very unwell and spotting those children can be very difficult. We had a few children in the early part of the surge who presented with a viral illness but Strep A can get in when your body’s fighting the viral infection.

“Here, we’ve had three or four very sick children with Strep A who have gone to our intensive care unit as they needed lots of help. In terms of number of children we’ve seen with Strep A, you’re talking anywhere between 30 to 100 children.

“I think the surge will last another month or six weeks and then settle down.”

Reports of patients waiting in corridors of the emergency department has at times also been an unfortunate reality for the children’s unit.

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“We’ve tightened up how children are triaged and pick the sick children early and get them upstairs, but this means others are left waiting,” Mark said.

“If a child needs serious emergency treatment, that can take three to four hours to sort. That takes all the doctors in that room at the time trying to save a child’s life, so others unfortunately have to wait.”

While the difficulties are prevalent, Mark says he and his colleagues are constantly adapting and stressed the level of care would never wain. He added: “You’ve got a group of professionals here at Poole who are passionate about looking after sick children and doing their best for them.

“There’s always reflection after the storm.”