South East’s first stand-alone children’s A&E opens

The unit will be officially opened on 31 January.

Previously, children have been treated within the adult A&E at the Royal Sussex County Hospital, which is also part of Brighton & Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Children’s charity Rockinghorse and local business Gingerman Restaurant Group have both contributed donation to the new unit.

Trust chief executive Duncan Selbie said: “Each day around 50 children come into our A&E. Having listened to parent stories about bringing their children to the adult department and the impossibility of protecting them from the sights and sounds of a busy adult A&E, which are definitely more than PG-rated, we decided to transfer our young patients to a more appropriate paediatric setting.”

Young patients in the new A&E are assessed and cared for within 15 minutes of arrival by a paediatric nurse. There is also a six-bedded observation unit adjacent to the new A&E.

The new department’s 39 staff includes six consultants, one nurse consultant and 10 paediatric nurses.