Children and young people’s visits to GPs, emergency departments and hospital admissions are rising. However, little is known about how these trends have progressed over the past decade since major primary care reforms in 2004 that that may have affected children and young people’s access to GPs. We aim to describe how children and young people’s GP consulting patterns and use of urgent and planned hospital care has evolved in the UK over the last 10 years from 2007 to the latest data available and whether how children and young people’s GP consulting patterns and use of urgent and planned hospital care has been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. We will also explore how different groups of children and young people use the health service. For example how use of health services differs across the age groups from 0-25 years, those living in areas that are less affluent and children and young people from different ethnic groups. Results will be useful to understand the current state of healthcare use by children and young people and improve resource allocation within the NHS to meet needs of children and families in England.
Children and young people are high impact users of health services and rising visits to GPs, emergency departments and hospital admissions in the United Kingdom (UK) placing the National Health Service (NHS) under increasing pressure.
Little is known about how consultation rates in primary care and hospital services have changed since major reforms in primary care that may have affected children and young people’s access to GPs or which children and young people are most likely to use primary care and hospital services. We aim to describe how children’s GP consulting patterns and use of urgent and planned hospital care has evolved in the UK over the last 10 years from 2007 to the latest data available. We will examine trends in rates of GP consultation, prescribing, outpatient attendances, emergency department visits, elective and unplanned hospital admissions in children and young people aged less than 25 for calendar years from 2007 to the latest data available and how these trends have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. We will stratify the rates calculated above by developmental age bands, ethnic group and groups living in different areas of deprivation. The findings will report on the current state of healthcare use by children and young people under 25 and may be useful to inform resource allocation within the NHS to meet needs of children and families in England.
Primary outcome
- Rates of GP consultations per child per year
Secondary outcomes
- Rates of emergency department visits per child per year
- Rates of elective hospital admissions per child per year
- Rates of unplanned hospital admissions per child per year
- Rates of prescriptions per child per year
- Rates of outpatient hospital attendances per child per year
Sonia Saxena - Chief Investigator - Imperial College London
Kimberley Foley - Corresponding Applicant - Imperial College London
Alex Bottle - Collaborator - Imperial College London
Dougal Hargreaves - Collaborator - Imperial College London
Geva Greenfield - Collaborator - Imperial College London
Hanna Creese - Collaborator - Imperial College London
Mark Cunningham - Collaborator - Imperial College London
Mitch Blair - Collaborator - Imperial College London
Judith Ruzangi - Corresponding Applicant - Imperial College London
Lizzie Cecil - Collaborator - King's College London (KCL)
HES Accident and Emergency;HES Admitted Patient Care;HES Outpatient;ONS Death Registration Data;Patient Level Index of Multiple Deprivation;Practice Level Index of Multiple Deprivation