Children with burns should be cared for in burn services in accordance with the National Burns Care Referral Guidance and with staff and facilities according to the burn care standards.4
Anaesthetists caring for paediatric burns patients should be trained in paediatric multimodal pain management.51
Children requiring surgery for cleft lip and palate should be treated by a specialist specialist cleft service.
Wherever sedation services for paediatric burn management exist, anaesthetists should be involved with setting up, monitoring and auditing the service.
Anaesthetists who prescribe oral sedation for paediatric burn patients do not need to be physically present for the procedure for which sedation is being prescribed but they, or other suitably trained and experienced staff, need to be available to return immediately if the need arises.53
General anaesthesia may be more appropriate than sedation for an individual. If general anaesthesia is performed in non-theatre environments, the recommendations in Chapter 7 should be followed.5
Children undergoing anaesthesia and their families should be offered input from play specialists to help prepare the child for anaesthesia.4
Healthcare workers, including the anaesthetist, must be aware of the local policy for child protection. They have an obligation to document and report any concerns to a responsible individual.54
