Cutting the ribbon on the Children and Young Person's Emergency Department
Children and young people will be treated in the same emergency unit at Northwick Park Hospital, improving their experience and the quality of care they receive.
The newly named Children and Young Person's Emergency Department will now treat all young people under the age of 18. Previously, some older children and young people would be seen in adult A&E.
It's the first in north west London to adopt such an approach, combining medical care and psychosocial support with the help of St Giles Trust, a charity that provides support for people who experience poverty and unemployment.
Helen Iyama, lead nurse for paediatrics on the unit, had the honour of cutting the ribbon. She said: "We can see all children and young people in a suitable environment, separate from the adult pathways.
"It means we can provide the right care, in the right place, with the right multi-disciplinary teams, and have the support of other specialities when we need them."
Those other specialities include support from St. Giles Trust, a charity that according to senior specialist caseworker Jessica Peters "dabbles in a lot of different things".
Here they run a youth violence and exploitation support service. Jessica said: "A young person comes to A&E three to four times before they end up in a major trauma centre, so our job here is to provide preventative work.
"We help to hopefully reduce the likelihood of major injuries by producing risk assessments and violence reduction plans for our young people at risk.
"We work in partnership with hospital teams to ensure patients are properly safeguarded, and we'll continue to casework them, if they need it, once they leave hospital".
Dr Lauren Fraser, medical director for emergency and ambulatory care added: "We're the first in north west London to welcome children and young people into one unit, offering medical care and psychosocial support in the footprint of our emergency department."