
With a commitment to continuous improvement, lean working practices and innovation, our ultimate vision is to advance the health and wellbeing of all children.
We look after all children who either come into the hospital in an emergency or those children and young people who have longer term health problems.
The service includes the emergency assessment and short stay (PEAPOD) in the Emergency Care Centre, a children’s day unit based on ward 20 and children’s outpatients. Some children need to stay in the hospital for a short length of time for further observation. Parents are encouraged to stay with them.
As we are a training unit our team includes doctors in training and also nursing and medical students. Critically ill children can be treated immediately at the QE Gateshead but sometimes it may be necessary to transfer children to the GNCH (Great North Children’s Hospital) in Newcastle. There is a specialist retrieval team to transfer children to the children’s intensive care unit there if necessary.
We have a nursery nurse who works on the unit. She will provide play activities and distraction for your child during their stay and when undergoing investigations and procedures. We have play areas both within the PEAPOD, on The Children’s Outpatients and Day Unit which are well equipped and cater for all ages.
We work closely with the local community and value their opinions and suggestions. The local Youth Council have been involved in a number of projects including a competition to help with the design of the theme for the PEAPOD.
Community Services
Here in Gateshead we strive to provide high quality, family focused care. We provide a variety of services both within an acute and community setting. Our services work in collaboration with one another to ensure the best outcomes for patients and families.
Children’s Therapy and Nursing Services in the Community
- Children’s Community Nursing Team
- Children’s Occupational Therapy
- Children’s Speech and Language
- Children’s Physiotherapy
- Children’s Bladder & Bowel
Our Community services include a variety of highly specialised, experienced and knowledgeable professionals. All our community services work in conjunction with each other, our acute services and also education services to provide high quality patient centred care. Within the community you can access the services of; Children’s Community Nursing, Children’s Occupational therapy, Children’s Physiotherapy, Children’s Bladder and Bowel service and Children’s Speech and Language therapy. Each service has its own area of expertise and therefore specific referral criteria, to learn more about the services we offer you can click on a service, which will take you to their specific page.
‘Gateshead Local Offer’
The Gateshead Local Offer brings together information for children and young people aged 0-25 years with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and their families.
This includes information about services and support, and advice and guidance on education, health, social care and transport.

0-19 Services
The 0-19 Service is an integrated service for families, expectant mothers, children and young people that offers interventions from the pre-natal stage up to the age of 19. Harrogate and District Foundation Trust leads on the delivery of this service, with a focus on working across services and organisational boundaries to improve public health outcomes. The universal reach of the HCP provides an invaluable opportunity from early in a child’s life to identify families that need additional support and children who are at risk of poor outcomes.
