Winter Illness webinar – recording and resources now available

On Tuesday 16 January 2024, we delivered a Winter Illness webinar which aimed to refresh practitioners’ knowledge and to share the wide range of resources that we have available to help you support babies, children & families this winter.

The following updates were provided from partner organisations during the webinar:

Healthier Together provided an update from a Lead Paediatrician on the current winter illness context
Bliss Charity shared resources on recognition of illness in babies with Black and Brown skin
Barnardo’s discussed damp and mould and the impact this has on respiratory health

View our latest Winter Illness webinar here

Also see Winter Illness Webinar Q&A

Babies under one year of age have the highest Emergency Department (ED) attendance rate, as highlighted in our recent report ‘Understanding the rise in 0-4-year-old Emergency Department (ED) attendances and changing health visiting practice‘. Respiratory illnesses represent 3 of the top 5 reasons for ED attendance and include: upper respiratory tract infections, tonsilitis and bronchiolitis. The report also highlighted that 59% of A&E attendees did not need investigations, treatment, or hospital admission, and were sent home after reassurance.

With this in mind, it is important for health visitors and other healthcare professionals to have knowledge and understanding of current respiratory illnesses, the signs and symptoms, and advice to be able to offer parents to help enable them to look after their children at home and know when to seek further help and support.

Over the last 3 years the iHV has been working closely with NHSE, Barnardo’s, Bliss, Contact and Healthier Together to create resources for parents and healthcare professionals about a variety of winter illnesses, which include:

Bronchiolitis and RSV
Croup
Difficulty breathing and wheeze
Fever, and fever under 3-months
Breathing difficulties in babies under 3-months
Strep A and Scarlet Fever
Flu

The related resources come in a range of formats – from e-learning and webinars for healthcare professionals/practitioners, to resources for parents including “When to worry” written resources, plus filmed and animated resources in the following languages: Bengali, Gujarati, Polish, Punjabi, Romanian, Spanish and Urdu, as well as English.

View some of the available resources for practitioners here

Practice-based resources to support babies, children and families this winter

Bronchiolitis and RSV
Croup
Difficulty breathing and wheeze
Fever, and fever under 3-months
Breathing difficulties in babies under 3-months
Strep A and Scarlet Fever
Flu

Webinar

On Tuesday 16 January 2024, 15:00-16:30, we are delivering a webinar which aims to refresh practitioners’ knowledge and to share the wide range of resources that we have available in more detail. Updates will be provided from each of the partner organisations:

Healthier Together will provide an update from a Lead Paediatrician on the current winter illness context
Bliss Charity will share resources on recognition of illness in babies with Black and Brown skin
Barnardo’s will be discussing damp and mould and the impact this has on respiratory health

Please join us for this important learning event and refresh your knowledge.

Webinar: Practice-based resources to support babies, children & families this winter
Date: Tuesday 16 January 2024
Time: 15:00-16:30
Online

Book your place here - places are limited, book early to avoid disappointment

Preview some of the available resources for practitioners here

Updated Parent Tips

The cases of Chickenpox and Scarlet Fever have been rising throughout the UK – this can be worrying for families, and it can sometimes be difficult to know when you need to see your GP or get advice from your health visitor.

We are pleased to announce we have just updated our iHV Parent Tips on Chickenpox and Scarlet Fever. These leaflets will give you advice on what to look out for, how to look after your child or baby at home, and where you can get more information and support from.

Remember, if you are worried about your child or baby, contact your health visitor, GP or call NHS 111 for advice and support.

Go to PT - Coping with chickenpox

Go to PT - Coping with scarlet fever

PHE urges vigilance about spotting signs of scarlet fever

Public Health England (PHE) is advising parents to be aware of the signs and symptoms of scarlet fever following a substantial increase in reported cases across England in 2017 to 2018.

Scarlet fever is a very contagious, seasonal bacterial illness that mainly affects children and is not uncommon for this time of year.

The latest Health Protection Report showed 6,225 cases of scarlet fever had been reported since mid-September 2017, compared to 3,764 for the same period last season. There were 719 cases reported for the most recent week (22 to 28 January 2018).

Scarlet fever is usually a mild illness; PHE is advising parents to be on the lookout for scarlet fever symptoms, which include a sore throat, headache and fever with a characteristic fine, pinkish or red rash with a sandpapery feel. If signs of scarlet fever are suspected, it is important to contact your local GPor NHS 111. Early treatment with antibiotics is important and can help reduce the risk of complications such as pneumonia and the spread of the infection. Children or adults diagnosed with scarlet fever are advised to stay at home until at least 24 hours after the start of antibiotic treatment to avoid spreading the infection to others.

PHE is also urging GPs, paediatricians, and other health practitioners to be mindful when assessing patients and promptly notify local health protection teams of cases and outbreaks.

For further information for on scarlet fever visit the NHS Choices website.

Guidelines for the management of scarlet fever are also available from the PHE website.

PHE Guidance – Scarlet fever: managing outbreaks in schools and nurseries

Guidelines to help health protection teams control outbreaks of scarlet fever in schools, nurseries and other childcare settings.

These guidelines were first developed by the national incident management team (IMT) in response to the upsurge in scarlet fever in April 2014 and subsequently updated by a subgroup of the IMT in 2016 and 2017 to reflect the changing epidemiology, evidence and feedback on implementation in practice.

A set of scarlet fever FAQs – intended for health professionals to give to the public – are available at: Scarlet fever: symptoms, diagnosis, treatment.

Please also share our iHV Parent Tips on Coping with Scarlet Fever

Go to PHE Guidance - Scarlet fever: managing outbreaks in schools and nurseries