If you are a clinical member of staff and have just scanned a patient’s VIP PASS, here’s what you need to know.
You’re a clinical member of staff and have just scanned a VIP PASS:
The patient carrying this pass has been identified as having a severe and complex procedural anxiety. This patient is under the care of a clinical psychologist and/or a registered Health Play Specialist.
A Personal Procedure Plan has been written with this patient and family. The plan identifies their individual needs and preferences and gives advice to help minimise the potential for further distress. Please ensure you read the patient’s up to date Personal Procedure Plan before attempting any procedures with this patient. The plan can be found on the patient’s PPM+ record by typing ‘Procedural’ in the filter box. The patient’s family may also be carrying a paper copy of the plan.
Thank you for helping us to support our VIP members
What is a VIP PASS?
VIP PASS is the updated version of a support pathway for Children and Young People with severe procedural distress, previously known as Little PALS (Procedural Anxiety Lego). The Little PALS programme was offered to a small group of patients and proved so helpful that it has now been extended and can be offered for children across all medical teams and services at Leeds Children’s Hospital.
The VIP (Very Important Plan) PASS (Procedural Anxiety Support Scheme) replaces Little PALS.
How does it work?
- VIP PASS members will be wearing or carrying a VIP PASS to let clinical teams know that they have severe and persistent procedural anxiety.
- A copy of the patient’s procedural anxiety care plan is on PPM+. Just search ‘procedural’ on the patient’s record to see the most up-to-date plan.
- There is an alert on PPM+ to remind clinical staff of the existence of the plan.
- VIP PASS plans will be updated at least annually to ensure records remain relevant.
- There is a dedicated VIP PASS Team that can link the child or young person with the VIP PASS Pathway and add the alert.
Adding Patients to the VIP PASS Pathway
Children and young people who experience procedural anxiety must be under the care of a Clinical Psychologist or a Registered Health Play Specialist to be eligible for the scheme.
Patients with a severe procedural anxiety should be referred to Paediatric Psychology for therapy via the existing referral process. Patients who are appropriate and meet the scheme’s eligibility criteria will be placed on the VIP PASS scheme.
Please speak to the patient’s consultant to discuss a referral to psychology. If you require further information on the referral process, please contact the Paediatric Psychology office: ext 25143
To make a referral to the Play Service for support with procedures please email: [email protected]
Information for parents
Showing a VIP PASS reminds staff to read your child’s procedural care plan on the hospital’s electronic records. If a member of staff is unaware of the VIP scheme, they can scan the QR code on the pass to access a brief explanation of the scheme and how to find out more.
The QR code also links to a copy of this information sheet in case you wish to read it again.
A procedural anxiety alert will be placed on you child’s patient records and will be clearly visible whenever their records are accessed. Information regarding a patient’s procedural anxiety will only be accessed by staff who need to know how to care for them.
Occasionally staff may not have access to a PC on which to read a patient’s plan. Therefore, it will help if you are carrying your paper copy whenever you visit the hospital.
The Phlebotomy Department currently offer a small number of bookable 30-minute blood test appointments for VIP PASS members. Please see a member of your medical team to book an appointment. Staff in the phlebotomy department do not have access to patient electronic records, therefore they are emailed a copy of the procedural care plan during the booking process.
Care plan reviews
It is important that a patient’s plan is updated regularly to make sure it remains relevant and responsive to the patient’s changing needs. The VIP Team aim to update plans on an annual basis.
The team will contact you when an update is due. If there are no changes needed to a patient’s plan, the plan will be updated immediately. If a plan needs changing, you will be called back by a Play Specialist from the VIP PASS Team as soon as possible. If we are unable to contact you by the end of the calendar month, we will assume the plan is no longer needed and the alert will be removed from the patient’s record.
Please do not hesitate to speak to a member of the Play Team if you need to make a change to your child’s plan before the annual review is due.
Once a year, you may be asked to complete a short survey about the VIP PASS scheme. We welcome your feedback and any suggestions you may have, which will help us to continue to improve the scheme for our patients. It is also important that we provide feedback for sponsors of the scheme.