Information for children, young people, parents and carers

Welcome to the ACE Service

Thank you for visiting the ACE pages. The service was established by senior children’s doctors (consultant paediatricians) and experienced children’s nurses at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, alongside family doctors (GPs) from throughout Bradford.

ACE stands for ‘Ambulatory Care Experience’, and ‘ambulatory’ means that care will be provided outside hospital and in your own home.

The service is run by specialist children’s nurses who are experts in caring for unwell children. Each ACE nurse works under the guidance of a consultant paediatrician based at Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI). This means that your child will be looked after by a very experienced hospital team but in your own home. Your GP will be kept informed about how your child is doing. The ACE Service, winner of the 2018 HSJ Award in the Improvement in Emergency and Urgent Care category, aims to provide the best possible care for your child while they are at home.

New ACE service pic

How do our nurses look after your child?

While under the care of the ACE Service your specialist nurse will:

  • Assess how your child is doing
  • Ask you if you think your child is getting better, staying the same or getting worse
  • Help you continue the treatment recommended by the GP, advanced nurse practitioner or doctor who referred you to the ACE team
  • Give you information and advice on signs to look out for that may mean your child is getting worse and needs more frequent nursing or medical input
  • Tell you how to get more help if you need it during the day or night
  • Provide advice on managing similar future illness
  • Provide related advice if appropriate, such as advice on smoking cessation
  • Make recommendations to your family or hospital doctor if required

The ACE team

Clinical leads and allied health professionals

The clinical lead for the ACE Service is consultant paediatrician Dr Mathew Mathai. Dr Mathai is based at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

Over the last ten years he has worked with GPs, community nurses and Accident and Emergency colleagues to develop better ways of looking after unwell children and young people in Bradford. The ACE team’s shared vision is that ‘the key to delivering effective emergency and urgent care is ensuring that the whole system is designed to support self-care and community care at home’.

The ACE project is an exciting collaboration between general practice and secondary care that has been a springboard to bridging the gaps between home, community and hospital-based acute care.

Dr Mathai has worked with a team of nurses, doctors, educators, pharmacists, managers, communication professionals, clerical staff and commissioners to develop the service.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals is currently looking to collaborate with other Trusts and hopes to develop stronger links across the region to promote the ACE service and high-quality urgent care for children and young people.

  • Head of children’s nursing and lead for ACE clinical governance: Kay Rushforth
  • Children’s matron for community services: Michelle Wilson
  • Team administrator: Attia Gilani
  • Clinical educators: Tamlin Walker and Laura Deery
  • Training development: Dawn Hare
  • Specialty doctor in paediatrics: Anne Pinches
  • Pharmacist: Manrita Khatker
  • Clinical commissioning group lead for urgent care: David Tatham
  • Lead commissioners: Louise Atherton and Rashmi Sudhari
  • Pathway development: Dr Mathew Mathai, Dr Anne Pinches, Dr Uma Jegathasan, Dr Helen Berry, Dr Anil Shenoy, Dr Sumera Farooq and Dr David Tatham
  • Digital editor: Dan Webber
ACE community nursing team leaders Emma Morrision (L) and Eve Malam

Our community children’s nurses have a significant amount of experience of working with children and young people in different settings, including the A&E Department and Children’s Ward at Bradford Royal Infirmary, and Leeds’ Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The team leader is Emma Morrison (pictured above). Meet our amazing ACE nursing team below.

  • Emma Morrison

    • Team Leader
    • 11 years’ experience on the children’s acute medical ward
    • Specialist interest in health promotion and the critically ill child

  • Lesley Hannah

    • Children’s nurse with 15 years’ experience working on the Children’s Ward, and within the Bradford and Airedale communities
    • ACE Gastroenteritis and Bronchiolitis Pathway lead nurse

  • Lucy Fletcher

    • 13 years as a children’s nurse, working as a staff nurse on an acute medical ward, an oncology research nurse and specialist asthma nurse
    • Wheezy Pathway lead nurse

  • Jessica Coatesworth

    • Over 8 years’ experience of working in the following areas – paediatric medical/surgical unit, Paediatric Burns Unit and a children’s hospice
    • Bronchiolitis lead for the ACE team

  • Elizabeth Dean

    • Over 9 years’ experience of working in the following areas – paediatric medical/surgery unit, PICU and immunisation team
    • Jaundice lead for the ACE team

  • Carly Plunkett

The ACE Service step-by-step guide. Zac was referred by his GP with wheeze (Hover over each picture to follow his story).

1.)

This is Zac and his mum. When Zac becomes unwell and starts to struggle with his breathing, his mum takes him to his GP.

2.)

The GP examines Zac and diagnoses him with viral wheeze. Zac meets the criteria for referral to the ACE team, so his GP gives them a call.

3.)

While still in the surgery, Zac receives 6-10 puffs of inhaled salbutamol via a spacer device. Safety-netting information is given and Zac and his mum go home.

4.)

Zac is now under the care of the ACE team and the consultant paediatrician. Eve, one of the ACE nurses, gives Zac’s mum a call within two hours of his referral to arrange a same-day home visit.

5.)

Eve visits Zac and his mum at home and conducts a full assessment. A short and long-term management plan is put in place. Eve arranges a suitable follow-up – this may be a call later that day or a home visit.

6.)

The ACE nurse completes the wheeze care bundle. This includes checking inhaler technique and reviewing Zac’s wheeze management plan. The care bundle ensures consistency and supports health education and promotion.

7.)

Zac is discharged from the ACE service and avoids a hospital visit! A discharge letter is sent electronically to his GP.