Health Education England elearning for healthcare (HEE elfh) has worked in partnership with Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BTHFT), The University of Bradford and The West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership to develop a new integrated learning programme to support enhanced nursing care for children and young people (CYP) with specific respiratory conditions.

Enhanced Paediatric Nursing Skills for Surge (EPNS4Surge) will provide nursing staff with the knowledge and skills to enhance the delivery of care for CYP with bronchiolitis, croup, asthma and viral induced wheeze. There is also an emphasis on how sepsis may mimic or present alongside these common conditions.

This programme provides specific training to ensure CYP are cared for safely through the development of new workflows, including enhanced nurse triage, nurse-led discharge and hospital at home care.

During winter months, hospitals often experience a ‘surge’ in the number of respiratory admissions to paediatrics causing pressures on the finite number of inpatient beds. This training can be an integral part of ‘surge planning’ in combination with staff support and team development to release capacity.

The programme is freely available to all NHS staff and can be accessed by visiting the EPNS4Surge programme page.