A REPORT published by the Irish Paediatric Critical Care Audit has highlighted the need for more regional paediatric beds, as Cork had the second-highest number of children admitted to adult ICUs in 2020.

The IPCCA yesterday published its second annual national report, which documents the critical care provided to almost 1,400 sick children admitted to Ireland’s two Dublin-based paediatric critical care units during 2020, Children’s Health Ireland (CHI) at Crumlin and CHI at Temple Street. 

It also details data on paediatric patients admitted to adult ICUs across the country.

It highlights that 68 under-16s were admitted to adult ICUs in Ireland in 2020. Of these, 11 children (16%) were admitted to adult critical care in Cork, the second-highest level of child admission to adult ICUs in the country.

While it notes that admission of children to regional adult units is evidence that not all need to be transferred to tertiary critical care in Dublin, it highlighted the need for more paediatric high-dependency units in regional hospitals. The only such designated regional paediatric is in University Hospital Limerick.

The report emphasises that regional paediatric HDUs would reduce the workload on adult critical care in caring for ill children and that the delivery of the national paediatric trauma network, in addition to heightened vigilance for sepsis, means regional high dependency units beds will be needed to support staff and improve patient outcomes.

The IPCCA said admitting children to adult ICUs can also “present particular challenges”, regarding staffing units with nurses trained in paediatric care in line with national standards. The report recommends adult ICUs caring for children should be sure to adhere to the Model of Care for Paediatric Critical Care.

It said any child requiring treatment in an adult critical care unit should be discussed with the National Paediatric Critical Care Network