Child death review

The child death review team is the central point for gathering and sharing information about a child’s death for the Newcastle Hospitals.

The death of any child is a tragedy. First and foremost this is for the child and the family but also for those who knew the child and family. This includes professionals who worked with them and society as a whole.

The deaths of all children and young people up to the age of 18 are reviewed by the Child Death Review Process. The purpose of this is to see if we can learn any lessons to prevent future deaths.

The Child Death Review Team for Newcastle Hospital’s covers the Great North Children’s Hospital, The Royal Victoria Infirmary and the Freeman Hospital. Parents and family can also contact the Child Death Review Team for information about the review process or if they have any questions about their child’s death. In such circumstances, the team will find the most appropriate professional to respond to their questions. They can also help organise bereavement support.

Teams from The Great North Children’s Hospital, Royal Victoria Infirmary and Freeman Hospital all provide information for the Child Death Review Process. This is often from the mortality meetings held to review the death of the child to see if there is any learning. This information is collected by the Child Death Review Team who forward the information to the local Child Death Overview Panel.

The Child Death Overview Panel is a group of professionals who meet several times a year to review all child deaths in their area. The Panels make recommendations and report on the lessons learnt to the Local Safeguarding Board. The Panel produces an annual report which is a public document.