Queen’s Hospital opens Children and Young People’s Assessment Unit

The Children and Young People’s Assessment Unit (CYPAU) at Queen’s Hospital is a purpose-built space where children and young people can be assessed and treated before being discharged.

A ribbon was cut on June 7 by the chief medical officer at Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Trust (BHRUT), Magda Smith; she was “delighted” and thankful to “everyone involved”.

She said: “It will allow us to increase our capacity and deliver an improved children’s service.

“Being able to assess and treat children for a short observation period and then return them to the comfort of their home, rather than admitting them, will mean a world of difference to our patients and their families.

“Our trust’s recovery and restoration of services are hugely important. Initiatives such as our new CYPAU are a reflection of the remarkable collaborative efforts we’re undertaking to get us where we need to be.”

BHRUT's divisional manager for women’s and child health, Nicki Abbott, also highlighted how the new unit will increase capacity to treat children and young people at Queen’s.

She said the unit will result in children spending less time in the hospital.

“It works differently from a traditional inpatient ward as the intention is that children are only here for a short period of time and can be discharged earlier, at any time of the day or night.

“We also plan to undertake 'hot' clinics and weekend reviews in the dedicated outpatient space.”

The unit aims to improve flow through Queen’s by reducing the number of patients in the emergency department and helping children to be seen quicker in a safer, more child-friendly area.

Nicki said: “Thank you to the very many staff and partners involved in the creation of this unit - from the Sodexo and estates teams to the finance team who supported the business case, Vikki Butler who helped find the space, and the nursing and play teams for their hand in some of the design and decoration.”