About Paediatric Early Warning System (PEWS) inpatient chart

The new national Paediatric Early Warning System (PEWS) chart monitors deterioration in children in inpatient settings, and is supported by other aspects of the PEWS.  

This elearning module is for all clinicians who will complete, interpret or use the updated PEWS chart in an inpatient setting. It does not require pre-existing knowledge or understanding of the updated PEWS chart. 

The elearning session comprises the following sections, which reflect the organisation of the PEWS chart:  

• top of the chart  
• parent and/or carer question  
• airway and breathing, circulation  
• disability and exposure  
• clinical intuition  
• escalation process and signature  
• ISBAR and comment box.  

This is followed by three case studies to test your understanding, and links to further resources. 

The elearning module will explain how to complete and interpret the PEWS chart section by section, and your learning will be tested in a quiz at the end of the session where you will receive a certificate on completion. 

The elearning session will take approximately an hour to complete, and can be completed on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. It can be completed in one sitting, or multiple sessions. 

More information

This elearning was developed to support the introduction of the new national Paediatric Early Warning System (PEWS) chart.

Primary and secondary audiences

This elearning is intended for any clinician who will complete, interpret or utilise the Paediatric Early Warning System (PEWS) chart.

Acknowledgements

This elearning session was developed by the NHS England Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme Team and authored by Karl Emms, Lead Nurse for Patient Safety / Patient Safety Specialist, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Trust, Peter Davis, Consultant Paediatric Intensivist, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, and Damian Roland, Paediatric Emergency Medicine Consultant, University of Leicester Hospitals Trust in collaboration with:

SPOT Education Task and Finish Group 

• Anna Rajakumar, Policy Lead – Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme, NHS England
• Beth Mackay, CYP Networks Manager – Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme, NHS England
• Elizabeth Waddington, Network Education Lead for Children and Young People ODNs, Oxford University Hospitals
• Frances Ives, Chartered Human Factors Specialist, West Midlands AHSN
• Jayne Wheway, Patient Safety Clinical Lead for Children & Young People and Human Factors, NHS England
• Karl Emms, Lead Nurse for Patient Safety / Patient Safety Specialist, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Trust
• Kate Pye, Deputy Director – Children & Young People Nursing Professional and System Leadership Team, NHS England
• Lesley Peers, Paediatric Clinical Lead, Wye Valley NHS Trust
• Nicola Taylor, Lead Nurse, Nottingham University Hospitals
• Sarah Scales Digital Nurse Specialist, University Hospitals Sussex

SPOT Oversight Group

• Anna Rajakumar, Policy Lead – Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme, NHS England
• Beth Mackay, CYP Networks Manager – Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme, NHS England
• Damian Roland, Paediatric Emergency Medicine Consultant, University of Leicester Hospitals Trust
• Fiona Lynch, CNO Senior Nurse Fellow, Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme, NHS England
• Gerri Sefton, Nurse Consultant, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital Critical Care Team
• Heather Duncan, Paediatric Intensive Care Unit Consultant, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Trust
• Jonathan Bamber, Head of QI, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH)
• Karl Emms, Lead Nurse for Patient Safety / Patient Safety Specialist, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Trust
• Katie Bagshaw, CYP Acute Care Forum Chair, Royal College of Nursing
• Peter Davis, Consultant Paediatric Intensivist, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
• Peter-Marc Fortune, Consultant Paediatric Intensivist and CCIO, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital

SPOT Delivery Board

• Anna Rajakumar, Policy Lead – Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme, NHS England
• Beth Mackay, CYP Networks Manager – Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme, NHS England
• Damian Roland, Paediatric Emergency Medicine Consultant, University of Leicester Hospitals Trust
• Jayne Wheway, Patient Safety Clinical Lead for Children & Young People and Human Factors, NHS England
• Matthew Clark, Consultant Paediatrician, East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
• Michael McKean, Vice-President for Policy, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH)
• Peter-Marc Fortune, Consultant Paediatric Intensivist and CCIO, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital
• Richard Owen, Deputy Director, Children and Young People’s Transformation Programme, NHS England
• Simon Kenny, Consultant Paediatric Surgeon, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital

Available to all

The new Paediatric Early Warning System (PEWS) inpatient chart course is freely available to access here.
Please note your progress and completion of sessions will not be recorded and you will not be able to generate a record of completion. If you require evidence of learning, please register and then log in to access this programme on the elfh Hub.

If you already have an account with elfh, then you can enrol on to the Paediatric Early Warning System (PEWS) inpatient chart course by logging in to the elfh Hub, selecting My Account > Enrolment and selecting the Recognising and managing deterioration programme. You can then access the programme immediately in the My eLearning section.

Register >

To view the Paediatric Early Warning System (PEWS) inpatient chart course, select the View button below. If you already have an account with elfh, you will also be able to login and enrol on the programme from the View button.

View >

Registering large numbers of users

If you are a HR, IT or Practice Manager and would like to register and enrol large numbers of staff within your organisation for access onto the News and Deterioration programme, please contact elfh directly.

Organisations wishing to use their own LMS

For HR departments wanting to know more about gaining access to courses using an existing Learning Management System please contact elfh directly to express interest.

More information

Please select the following link for more information on how to use the elfh Hub.