Hospital passport for Newcastle patients with learning disabilities

Nurses at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle have created a hospital passport for young people with learning disabilities and additional needs to improve their journey through hospital.

Aiming to make a child’s visit to hospital as stress-free as possible, the passports will make sure all important information about the patient is recorded in one place, as detailed as patient’s likes and dislikes, as well specific communications needs.

The hospital passport is currently being trialled in the children’s outpatient department, with plans to roll it out to all the hospital’s children’s services in the future.

Part of the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the outpatient department at the Great North Children's Hospital sees over 70,000 children and young people each year.

Kathy Seed, senior sister in children’s outpatients, who led the project, said: “Coming to hospital can be difficult for a child or young person with a health condition and a learning disability, especially on their first visit as the environment is unfamiliar. In addition to this, the children’s outpatients department sees approximately 300 children a day so it is extremely busy. For some patients and families, the volume of people, the noise and the general business can be distressing.

“We developed the hospital passport so that all the important information about the patient can be recorded in one place and it can be brought with them to their hospital appointment. This will help facilitate their journey through outpatient clinics and up to our wards if transferred. It is important that we understand the patient as a whole person, not just their medical history. This includes how we can understand when they are in pain, how they keep safe and how they sleep. Every child and young person is unique, so understanding their differences is essential so we provide the best possible care.”