Why does the UK have 16-17 year olds on adult wards?

[Dodgeitornot]

Just that. I've always been confused by it. As far as I know, most countries in Europe, or even the world, keep patients in pediatrics until they turn 18 or even 21. Why does the UK move them to adult wards so early? Isn't this a safeguarding risk?

I completely agree op, there needs to be a teen wing. I've thought a lot about the 15year old who might have sepsis and how her mum has had to fight for her care. If she was born earlier in the year she would be on an adult ward and possibly not allowed her mum.

My son at 16 and 3 weeks badly fractured his leg and needed pins. I wasn't allowed to stay with him at all as our wards are single sex. I agree with single sex but he needed me, he suddenly didn't seem 16, had it happened three weeks earlier I would have been with him.

Those saying you wouldn't want a teen with your 6year old, I get it, but also when that 6 year old is 16 you will realise they are not as grown as you think.

Yes but that doesn't mean they think paeds ward are exclusively filled with under 5s, as you keep implying.

Perhaps we should be asking why the uk recruits 16yr olds to join the army? The only country in Europe with legitimate child soldiers.

I'm sorry, I'm confused. The only people who have been against this have said they would not want their young kids on a ward with 16-17 year olds. I keep saying that kids wards are not exclusively filled with young kids, hence why I'm baffled by this argument.

Dd was under paeds until 18 in the U.K.. I think it really depends on clinical need - a one off surgery eg for sports injury is quite different to ongoing care

I wouldn't want my 17 year old daughter on a mixed ward with older men. I suspect there are more older men who would enjoy the view of a pert 16-18 year old female in in a hospital gown than there are 17 year old makes checking out your pre-teen.

I should? Maybe make a thread on it? It doesn't seem the UK really cares all that much about their young adults tbh. The 16-17 age range seem a bit forgotten. Sticking them onto mixed adult wards and allowing them to join the army before they have the right to....pretty much anything else.

I lived alone at 16. Tbh I would have found it weird being out in a children’s ward at that age.

Man, woman or child, alive or dead, I don't think anyone was safe if they were vulnerable and accessible.

It’s really really wrong. I only recently discovered this with my 16yr old. He has been under haematology since 3weeks old and they removed him and sent him to adults (still waiting on that so in the meantime he has none!). He was on the list for surgery but at 16 was removed and had to be added to the adult list. There was talk of starting from the bottom but it became urgent so he was bumped up.
Went in for day surgery and I wasn’t meant to be allowed with him, but because he’s autistic they allowed it. I saw other parents sent home. I live more than an hour from the hospital. I wasn’t allowed to go down with him or be there when he woke though, like I was when he was younger. They soon got me though because he was so distressed when he woke.
They wanted to keep him overnight but he would be transferred to the adult ward. He was not staying without me. In the end they allowed us home.
16 is not an adult and shouldn’t be treated as such. I don’t understand people saying they wouldn’t want a child this age in with their younger kids? Why not? How is my teenager any risk to younger kids? (he’s not, he’s great with them) Plus in childrens wards parents are there to look after their children, to protect, advocate and comfort them. My 16yr old is much more at risk in a ward of adults without those things.

Wait until that posters kid is 17 and an inpatient on an adult ward with a horrible nurse that won't let them stay the night. Not sure they'll be describing them as a man then.

I was on a mixed ward recently but it was bays with single sex and their own toilets. I didn’t see a male patient the whole time apart from the male nurse. However, two patients had their partners staying by them all night in chairs and that did feel uncomfortable.

This what I mean. I feel your son was failed and I don't know where else in the world this sort of transfer happens at 16. It's bizarre.

There is also a huge issue with special
Needs kids transitioning to adults. As adult land just isn't equipped for their complexity.
There was a documentary a few years ago about a children's hospital that still had 28 year olds. Which as they pointed out, was inappropriate. As what do you say to the parents who's toddler had to be shipped out to another PICU because an adult is in a paediatric bed.
We had a 19 year old once, not only because she'd been in fur over a year. When she was readmitted, she went to adults. Her mum hated it and really played the system to get her back into paeds. She didn't get her way. But her daughter will still be the sane when she's 40. A line has to be drawn.
Though having been an inpatient on an adult ward, I'd rather be on a children's ward! Even on cleft lip and palate surgery nights. Which are noisy!!

There should be wards for children, old teens/young adults and adults.

15/16/17 year olds are not in need of paediatric care, but they may also find it overwhelming being on a ward potentially with elderly people and young females particularly being with men.

My concerns weren't about sexual.behabiours. I also said boy/man, which showed it wasn't clear cut. Anyway, I'm bowing out now. I understand it's an emotive subject and have agreed neither situation is ideal.

The other issue with adolescent wards is that they just become CAMHS and eating disorder wards. That are so incredibly emotionally exhausting for staff, that no one wants to work there.

Why can’t 16/17 year olds vote?

What is it with people saying 15-17 year olds don't need a pediatrician? This is taken from a random NHS site:

We also have a non-urgent service called Community Paediatrics that treats children and young people up to the age of 18.

I’m sorry this was your experience but it isn’t what always happens.

I work across children’s and adults services and we make an individual decision based on the person, family and medical need as to whether 16, 17 and 18 year olds are admitted to the paediatric or adult ward.

I think ideally there should be an adolescent ward for teens.
I have teens, thankfully they havent been hospitalised but a close friends 16 year old DD was, she was put in a ward with people in their 70s and 80s, it was a very frightening experience for her. Her parents couldnt stay. My DM has frequent hospital stays and I cant believe that anyone who thinks 16/17 year olds should be on an adult ward, a) have DC that age or b) have experienced / recently visited an adult ward- which can be mixed sex.
Old frail people in hospital are often distressed and confused- constantly crying out.

I can definitely see this being a problem. I suspect not many parents would want a 17 year old who's just overdosed on the same ward as their 7 year old with a broken arm. Equally though, it's not really appropriate for that 17 year old to be on an adult mixed ward. I don't know, it does feel like that age group has been a bit missed.

I do think there's more than one scenario being discussed, there's young people with ongoing medical conditions that need to transition to adult services, so what age that happens, then there's one off medical issues eg broken bone needing reset, tonsil extraction, then there's a condition that develops after age 16 ... ongoing they definitely transition into adult services when patient appropriate, dd was just shy of 18, for one offs it's probably more important to allow a parent to accompany rather than whether it's paeds or adult, for new conditions it makes sense to go straight into adult care

As a veteran hospital mum of a tween with a transplant, I would not want my 16 year old on an adults ward. A 16/17 year old very poorly kid needs a parent overnight and someone to advocate for them.

I’ve spent many a time on children’s wards and it has never bothered me what age a teenager is. I have noticed however that they do where possible give the older teens a cubicle (own room) with a parent bed which I think is kinder to the teen.

So OP I do share your concerns.

Except they don't go into conflict till they're 18, so not exactly child soldiers.