Safety recommendation
HSIB recommends that NHSX develops national standards describing the electronic deployment of the NHS System-wide Paediatric Observations Tracking (SPOT) e-PEWS (the digital version of the Paediatric Early Warning Score tool), in collaboration with the NHS England and NHS Improvement SPOT Programme. This should include specifications for data capture, calculation of the score and escalation status, and also the display of the information and connectivity with other digital systems.
Response:
Initial messaging standards for the SPOT score have already been incorporated into the national standard observation data set by NHS Digital. The Digital Child Health and Maternity programme is currently moving into NHS England and NHS Improvement as part of the merger with NHS X. It is anticipated that the programme will continue to work with the NHS England and NHS Improvement SPOT programme team to prioritise the resourcing of appropriate digital updates and support as the programme progresses.
Actions planned to deliver safety recommendation:
- We aim to launch the inpatient paper PEWS in early 2023. Rollout will be gradual and incremental over the coming years. By: early 2023. Resources in place: SPOT Programme. Other dependencies: Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH)/Royal College of Nursing (RCN) support on dissemination and alignment. They are partners in the programme so well sighted.
- Selected hospitals are currently testing the PEWS and the testing includes digital and paper sites. By: Paper-based sites, October 2021-October 2022. Digital sites, October 2021 and we will continue to test until a specification is agreed. Resources in place: SPOT Programme. Other dependencies identified: digital transformation programme plans.
- Digital systems are still evolving and are impacted by wider digital ambitions for the NHS. Therefore, uptake and rollout digitally is dependent on wider funding and specifications. By: evolving over 2023. Resources in place: SPOT Programme. Other dependencies identified: digital transformation programme plans.
Response received on 20 October 2022.