Our network
The South West UK Paediatric (Childrens) Burn Service is based
at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, part
of University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation
Trust, and treats around 1,000 children with burn injuries every
year.
Our aim is to provide the highest quality care for all children
referred with burns, scalds and other skin loss conditions
including:
- Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome
- Toxic Epidermolysis Necrosis
- Plastic surgery care required following meningococcal
septicaemia.
We are the lead paediatric (Childrens) burn service for the
South West UK Burns Operational Delivery Network (ODN) and as
such will also accept referral of complex paediatric (Childrens)
burns from the Central South Coast and South Wales and the
South West.
We provide the highest quality, equitable, child/family friendly
burn care for all children and their families, to achieve the best
possible outcomes following burn injury within the South West
ODN.
The service is based on Level 5 within the Bristol
Royal Hospital for Children. We have ward level and
rehabilitation paediatric burn beds, thermo-regulated
high-dependency beds, as well as access to Intensive Care level
beds as needed within the hospital.
The burns assessment area within the ward has direct
access via a dedicated patient lift from A&E and the on-site
helicopter deck.
The clinical service is linked with the Children's Burns
Research Centre which is a multi-disciplinary consortium led by
Professor Alan Emond at the University of Bristol in partnership
with Cardiff University, North Bristol NHS Trust, University
Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, the University
of the West of England, and the University of Bath. The centre is
funded by UK charity the Healing Foundation with a £1.5 million
grant for five years from 2012, with additional support from the
Welsh Assembly National Institute for Social Care and Health
Research (NISCHR).
The Children's Burns Research Centre's mission is to develop a
UK research centre of world-leading excellence crossing clinical
and academic boundaries for real patient benefit, to prevent burns
and improve the outlook of children with burn injuries. The
Clinical Research Theme, led by Dr Amber Young, builds on
successful collaborations between the research team in Bristol and
scientists at the University of Bath and the University of the West
of England. The research programme focusses on burn wound
management, including the development of 'smart' dressings for
paediatric scalds which allow the detection and treatment of
infection without dressing removal, and help to prevent bacterial
resistance. Other clinical projects taking place at the centre
include the assessment of volatile organic compounds (gases)
emitted from discarded burns dressings and the ideal fluid
resuscitation formula for children with moderate scalds. They are
also developing a project to look at the treatment pathway for
small area scalds.