News15th February 2023

Call for evidence on disagreements in the care of critically ill children in England

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics (NCOB) is running an open call for evidence to inform an independent review of disagreements in the care of critically ill children in England.

Child and infant health

Our review is looking at the causes of disagreements between parents/carers of a critically ill child and the healthcare teams responsible for the provision of care or medical treatment for the child; assessing how these disagreements can be avoided; and how their resolution might be handled more sensitively and collaboratively.   

The evidence that we hear from those with personal, professional or research experience of disagreements in the care of critically ill children will be crucial to ensure that our work is robust and meaningful, and that any recommendations we make are practically implementable. The call for evidence will help us ensure that everyone who wants to contribute their evidence to this review has the opportunity to do so.

Our previous  work on this subject highlighted the far-reaching effects that protracted disagreements can have. We welcome new evidence to help us update and improve our understanding of these issues. For more information, please read our call for evidence document.  

For any questions about responding to this call for evidence, including requests for alternative formats, please contact us on children@nuffieldbioethics.org.  

UPDATE: We have extended the deadline for responses to until midday on Friday 14 April 2023.