Children's Services
Paediatric Short Breaks Training Service
Enabling children and young people with additional healthcare needs access to a wider range of respite services through the training of care staff
About our service
The aim of our service is to enable children and young people with disabilities and additional healthcare needs access to a wider range of respite and short break services through the training of care staff.
Who is it for?
We provide nurse training to Birmingham Children’s Trust (BCT) staff and services commission by BCT to provide short breaks for young people with disabilities and additional healthcare needs in a variety of settings within Birmingham.
This enables young people to access appropriate short breaks care, through the provision of training for care staff.
Who delivers it?
This is a small service consisting of two qualified nurses and one administrator.
The service is very innovative and an example of good partnership working and as such we have achieved a lot:
- developed evidence based training packs
- introduced a creative training programme for Care Staff and are currently looking at e-learning programmes as an option.
- developed assessment documentation and competencies for care staff
- initiated a Regional Working Group in conjunction with the Royal College of Nursing to network with nurses in other PCT’s in order to enhance working practices.
- acted as a resource for other staff both within and outside the Trust
We offer our training on two levels, Awareness and Skills training and provide Staff with certificates to evidence the training they have received.
Recent training includes:
- epilepsy awareness and the administration of emergency medication.
- gastrostomy/naso-gastric feeding awareness and skills
- non-invasive ventilation
- use of the adrenaline auto-injector for the treatment of anaphylactic shock.
- sub-cutaneous injections administered via a pen device.
Training can only commence once the child has been allocated a short breaks placement, consent must gained from parents / guardians prior to referral.