Head Injury in Children
Clinical Lead: Dr Gale Pearson
Project Manager: Rosie Houston
Timescale: April 2009 – April 2012
Summary: The CMACE enquiry into head injury in children was selected as the principal project with a child health focus for 2009 – 2012 as part of the CEMACH programme of work. The project comprises three phases:
- A national survey of all Ambulance Service and Acute NHS Trusts to ascertain current policy, protocols and practice in the pre-hospital and hospital management of head injury in children.
- A descriptive study of children and young people (up to 15 years old) who are transferred and/or admitted to hospital with or who die from an isolated head injury or a head injury as part of a pattern of injuries, between September 2009 to February 2010 (inclusive).
- Confidential enquiry panels will review a sample of approximately 300 of these cases to assess where, how and why standards of care may not have been met and what the potential impact may be. These panels will take place between September 2019 and December 2011.
Progress report: The six months of data collection has been completed and we have received over 6000 notifications from 90% of hospitals in the UK (excluding Scotland). Confidential enquiry panels started in September 2010.
Data from the ambulance service organisational surveys have been published in the Emergency Medicine Journal. Please click here to review the abstract for this journal article.
For further information on the project please click here or contact Rosie Houston on 020 7467 3223