06 September 2002
The extra funds will boost spending on the services to £25m a year and will be used to build capacity, open 100 extra beds over the winter months, offer greater training to paediatric intensive care unit staff and ensure that more specialist doctors and nurses accompany critically ill children when they are being transferred between units.
It is the first major boost to the service's funding since 1999/2000, when annual spending was increased by £5m to £15m.
Paediatric Intensive Care Society chair Dr Gale Pearson said: 'The additional funding in paediatric intensive care provision and support for improvements to the direction of the service have undoubtedly saved children's lives.
'The latest increase in funding will place the service in the strongest position in which it has ever been to respond to the needs of critically ill children.'
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