Children's community nurses celebrated for reducing health inequalities

The Evelina London Patch children's community nursing (CCN) team has triumphed at the HSJ Awards 2024, winning the Reducing Inequalities and Improving Outcomes for Children and Young People Award.

The HSJ (Health Service Journal) Awards are held every year to highlight exceptional work in healthcare.

The Patch CCN team provides an early intervention service for children and young people in Lambeth and Southwark with asthma, eczema or constipation.

They won for their work proactively identifying and supporting children and young people who may have asthma, eczema or constipation, and offering holistic treatment to those with uncontrolled symptoms.

Their approach has led to significant improvements in the health of local children and young people with asthma. 90% of patients who are seen by the service with uncontrolled asthma are much better able to control their symptoms.

After 6 months with the service, patients are:

• 45% less likely to need to see their GP
• 54% less likely to need to stay in hospital
• 18% less likely to need to visit their local emergency department (A&E)

The Patch service was created collaboratively with families, clinicians, and researchers to enhance care for children through the Children and Young People's Health Partnership (CYPHP).

Over 4,000 children have received tailored care from the team since it was established in 2016, with a further 10,000 families being supported with guidance for self-management.

Lyncia Downer, Patch team leader, said: "We have worked across multiple disciplines to make a meaningful difference to local children and young people.

By embracing a unique, holistic approach, we are able to provide tailored care to each child and their family. This award highlights the positive impact of our work on children with asthma and I hope it inspires other services to consider adopting a similar method.

"On a personal note, I am deeply grateful for this service, as it would have made a massive difference for my own child had it been available at the time. I am immensely thankful to our team for their hard work, commitment and dedication to making this vision a reality."

Janet Powell, director of nursing at Evelina London, said: "I'm so proud that the Patch team has received this prestigious award for their work helping children and young people control their asthma. One of our main priorities at Evelina London is to proactively prevent ill health and reduce health inequalities. The team is doing essential work to improve access and outcomes for young patients in our local areas."

The Children and Young People's Health Partnership was funded by Guy's & St Thomas' Charity, and was comprised of:

• Evelina London, as part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
• King's College Hospital
• King's College London
• Lambeth Together
• Partnership Southwark
• South London and Maudsley
• Lambeth and Southwark councils
• the 3 GP Federations in Lambeth and Southwark (Lambeth Healthcare, Quay Health Solutions and Improving Health Limited)