Why you should read this article:

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To learn about the development of a day surgery admissions pathway for children and young people with learning disabilities

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To increase your knowledge of ways of improving access to hospital for children and young people with learning disabilities

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To enhance your awareness of the positive effects on patients and families of a bespoke admission process

Following feedback from parents and carers, a new pathway was developed by staff in the paediatric day surgery unit of a hospital in England for admitting children and young people with learning disabilities, some of whom are autistic. This article describes the All About Me pathway, which supports individualised admission planning and uses an interdisciplinary approach to enable multiple examinations or procedures to be completed under a single anaesthetic.

The authors explain how the All About Me team works with families, schools and caregivers to gain a greater understanding of each child and young person. This enables the team to make reasonable adjustments to the environment and admission process to maximise the chance of a successful admission. Families have reported that the pathway has made significant improvements to their experience of healthcare services. The pathway continues to develop and has become the focus of a quality improvement project which is expected to demonstrate cost savings.