Why we are doing this work

There is a distinct paucity of published literature reporting CYP service users’ experiences and outcomes of being in receipt of non-specialist inpatient care. This project aimed undertake the preliminary work in developing a Person Centred Outcome Measure (PCOM) for this patient group by identifying the domains for a PCOM and establishing how such a measure could be implemented.

A two phase sequential design was adopted: (1) a rapid review of the literature; and (2) an evaluation of experiences and outcomes through stakeholder engagement events with children and young people, their parents and carers, and professionals from health, social care and education.

Findings identified five domains that could be used to develop a PCOM that included: Privacy and surveillance; Receiving holistic care; Making choices and being understood through timely, relevant and appropriate communication; Working together to plan and achieve care goals; and Respect and empowerment.

The purpose of this project was to co-produce, with CYP service-users and nurses, a digital education intervention for acute hospital registered children’s nurses to improve the care of CYP who have self-harmed.

A three phase sequential design was implemented which involved:

(1) identifying the focus of the digital educational intervention through a face-to-face, priority-setting workshop with a cohort of registered children’s nurses; (2) co-producing the digital educational intervention with service users, professionals, learning technologists and academics;

(3) evaluating the impact of the digital educational intervention.

The intervention led to improvements in nurse’s knowledge, attitudes, confidence and clinical behavioural intention. This was supported through qualitative data which indicated wide ranging positive impact, including: feeling empowered and having improved confidence; the ability to adopt a holistic approach to caring; being more knowledgeable; and having the skills and ability to effectively communicate.

The aim was to develop and test an evidence-based tool that assesses immediate risk of self-harm and suicidality in children and young people that are experiencing mental health crisis presenting to the emergency department or hospital ward settings.

The study involved three phases:

1. Scoping review of the literature;

2. E-Delphi study;

3. Multicentre psychometric evaluation study.

The study culminated in the development of an 8-item, two factor tool called the CYP-MH SAPhE Tool(TM). This tool was valid (face, convergent and discriminant) and reliable (inter-rater) at assessing the immediate risk of self-harm and suicidality in CYP (aged 10-19 years) in acute paediatric settings.