Abstract
The 1997 report “Paediatric Intensive Care: A framework for the future” recommended that all hospitals be included in a unified intensive care service with lead centres providing round-the-clock advice and retrieval service. We audited paediatric intensive care admissions to our district general hospital ICU for the five-year period following publication of this report, to investigate how many patients were admitted, how many were transferred, problems associated with retrieval and patient outcomes. Of the 137 children who were admitted to our ICU between 1998 and 2003, 89% were unplanned admissions, the commonest diagnoses being asthma, pneumonia and CNS infection. Thirty-seven per cent were transferred to lead or other specialist centres. The proportion retrieved has steadily increased. No major problems occurred during retrieval. Delays or failure to transfer due to bed shortage occurred in a small number of cases with no adverse sequelae. Overall the retrieval process was efficient. Outcomes for patients managed locally were good suggesting that skills in managing critically ill children have been well maintained.