Over the coming weeks and months as Covid restrictions continue to lift, we anticipate an increase in respiratory viruses in children. Please continue to promote good practice with hand hygiene, using tissues to catch coughs/sneezes and maintaining a safe
distance within your school as this will all help minimise the spread of illness.
In addition to help with other childhood illnesses, the NHS in Bradford District and Craven has produced a handy booklet to help parents / carers look after poorly children when they have a common childhood illness like a cough, cold or upset tummy.
The ‘If your child is poorly’ guide has been put together by local GPs and gives advice about managing childhood illnesses at home and identifying when parents / carers should get further help from local health and care services.
The guide can be downloaded via our website at:
https://www.bradfordcravenccg.nhs.uk/patients/your-health/childrens-health/ and is available in other languages.
We would appreciate it if you could share the parent/carer letter (see in italics below) and link to health information online via your website or social media pages, and if you require printed copies of the letter and guide we would be happy to supply these.
Please contact communications@bradford.nhs.uk
with the number of copies you would like.
Thank you for your help in sharing this message.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Kirsty King. Clinical lead for children and young people, NHS Bradford District and Craven CCG
Dear parent / carer
Managing childhood illnesses
Over the coming weeks and months as Covid restrictions continue to lift, we anticipate an increase in respiratory viruses in children. Please continue to follow the guidance on regular hand washing, using tissues to catch coughs and sneezes and disposing
of these, and maintaining a safe distance from others as this will all help minimise the spread of illness amongst friends and family.
As a reminder, if your child has any of the main symptoms of COVID-19, even if they're mild:
- You MUST get a PCR test (test that is sent to a lab, you can book these online or by calling 119) to check if they have COVID-19 as soon as possible.
- Your child should stay at home and not have visitors (self-isolate) until you get the test result – they can only leave home to have the test.
The main symptoms of COVID-19 are:
- a high temperature
- a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot, for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
- a loss or change to sense of smell or taste – this means they cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal.
In addition to help with other childhood illnesses, the NHS in Bradford District and Craven has produced a handy booklet to help you look your child/children when they have a common childhood illness like a cough, cold or upset tummy.
The ‘If your child is poorly’ guide has been put together by local GPs and gives you advice about managing common illnesses at home and identifying when you should get further help from local health and care services.
The guide can be downloaded via our website at:
https://www.bradfordcravenccg.nhs.uk/patients/your-health/childrens-health/ or you can bookmark the page on your smartphone to access it easily on the move, and share with others who might find it useful.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Kirsty King
Clinical lead for children and young people, NHS Bradford District and Craven CCG
NB – We know that you know your child/children better than anyone so it’s also important to know where to go when you’re worried and need more help. If you need help urgently but you’re not sure what to do, go straight to NHS 111 –
111.nhs.uk – or if your child is under five, call 111. It’s free and open 24/7.