Developed in collaboration between North West Surrey CCG and Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals, ‘HANDi’ is a new paediatric app that has been launched for Ashford and St Peter’s families, parents and carers living across North West Surrey to provide advice and support to if their children have symptoms of common childhood illnesses.
The aim of the ‘HANDi’ App is to empower parents/carers with knowledge to recognise when their child is unwell but can be looked after at home or when they need to see GP/ go to A&E.
Senior GPs and Consultants from NWS along with Dr Fiz Izagaren a trainee Paediatrician at Ashford and St Peter’s and Paediatric Urgent Care Lead for Surrey Heartlands , have been working on adapting the content of the healthcare app for families and clinicians of NW Surrey and Ashford and St Peter’s in collaboration with Jo Gravier, NW Surrey’s Commissioning Programme Manager for Children & Young People,
Jo Gravier, said: “We understand that parents may feel the need to head to A&E when their child shows signs of being unwell but in many cases, a lot of minor ailments could be treated in alternative ways. The ‘HANDi’ app is designed to give parents confidence in dealing with minor conditions themselves at home or the most appropriate place to seek support.
Dr Izagaren continued, “The ‘HANDi’ app is designed to empower parents, and has been designed using the latest NICE and RCPCH Guidelines plus clinical knowledge.
“It includes illness-specific home assessment for six common childhood illnesses:
- Diarrhoea and vomiting
- High temperature
- Chesty baby (Bronchiolitis)
- Chesty child (Wheeze and Asthma)
- Abdominal pain
- Common new-born problems (Midwives and Health Visitors please promote)
“Each of the six illnesses has a home care plan that can be printed out to help parents and carers provide the best support for their child, and give them confidence in caring for their children when they are unwell.”
You can download the FREE HANDi App for Android phones from Google Play or the Apple App Store for iPhones by searching ‘Handi app’ Paediatric and then selecting Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
