CHILDREN admitted to Scottish hospitals at the weekend are just as safe as those treated midweek.
New analysis has found paediatric care may even be better on Saturdays and Sundays, when it appears there are slightly fewer deaths and a smaller chance of patients needing to be readmitted.
The research is the latest contribution to the debate about creating a "seven day" NHS, where services are more consistent through-out the week.
A number of studies have raised concern that adult patients and new born babies do less well if they arrive in hospitals at the weekend.
Noting that the pattern for paediatric care had not been studied, the researchers examined details of more than 500,000 hospital admissions involving patients under 16 which occurred across Scotland between January 2000 and December 2013.
During this period around 250 deaths occurred during weekdays and 84 at the weekend.
Of those admitted between Monday and Friday 7.8per cent required a further readmission for their condition, compared to 7.3per cent of those who first came in at the weekend.
Dr Steve Turner, consultant paediatrician at Aberdeen Children's Hospital and author of the study, said: "I have four children myself and I have worked in the NHS for 20 years and I have always been very impressed at the weekend service in paediatrics. This data confirms that hospitals are very safe places for children to come to at weekends."
He noted the findings show what happens in paediatric units does not always mirror patterns on adult wards. The type of conditions which children suffer are different from those which put older patients at risk, he said.
The study did find a higher proportion of patients admitted at the weekends required intensive or high dependency care. Dr Turner suggested this was because parents whose children were unwell - but not causing immediate alarm - would wait until Monday to see their GP. Monday emerged as the busiest day of the week for new hospital admissions from the study.
However, Dr Turner added: "There is no evidence that children are dying because people are hanging on until a Monday (before they seek medical advice). Children are coming in with serious conditions."
He said access to diagnostic tests, such as blood tests and CT scans was good at weekends, although most centres would not have access to MRI scans for young patients.
Debate about how well patients are looked after at weekends, compared to weekdays, has existed for many years. In 2013 a study based on admissions to Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary found patients were slightly more likely to die if they became ill on a Saturday or Sunday and death rates were significantly higher during bank holiday weekends.
Westminster Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has sparked new controversy about the issue by suggesting understaffing hospitals during the weekend is causing 11,000 excess deaths every year. This is based on a study looking at 14 million patient admissions in England which found patients who went in on Sunday were 15per cent more likely to die than those admitted on Wednesday
The authors including Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, medical director of NHS England, linked this to patients admitted at weekends being sicker as well as highlighting the possibility that fewer consultants and tests are readily available.
An expert group is currently looking into seven day working in Scotland and Dr Turner said paediatric services should remain part of their remit.
His findings were due to be presented during a symposium hosted by the Scottish Paediatric Society at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
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