CATCH – Common Approach to Children's Health

CATCH – Common Approach to Children's Health

CATCH was developed after a study by Cheshire East Council's public health team found that A&E attendance among 0-4 year olds in the area was much higher than the national average and that many of the children were being sent home with basic advice and information only. This suggested that self-care may have been a better option for many of the children.

This app offers top tips on treating minor ailments in 0 to 5 year olds, and helps users prevent accidents and illness. It offers advice on when to seek medical advice and has lots of information for expectant mums and dads too.

One parent who took a recent survey said: "This app has saved my life – the number of times I've needed ideas to help my child or had a look at things that will help her as she grows. I recommend the app to everyone."

And 525 (90 per cent) of survey respondents said that CATCH had helped them feel more confident to care for their child.

Of 306 people answering a question on what the app had helped them with, the most frequent responses were:

• childhood vaccinations (194 responses, 63 per cent)
• exercise and play ideas (100, 33 per cent)
• breastfeeding (98, 32 per cent).

In its first month in Cheshire West, CATCH was downloaded 129 times with 100 people using it more than once. Cheshire wide, there were 979 users at the end of May.

The app offers:

• NHS-approved health advice
• highly localised information about healthcare services and support groups
• timely notifications about key health dates such as childhood immunisations
• an interactive map of healthcare services such as GP surgeries, dentists and pharmacies.

CATCH is highly personalised as parents can input their child's date of birth and it will only present health information and reminders that are relevant to their child's age.

Anyone can download the app but the interactive content is only available to people with postcodes in areas where commissioners have adopted it.

CATCH, which stands for Common Approach to Children's Health, was developed after a study by Cheshire East Council's public health team found that A&E attendance among 0-4 year olds in the area was much higher than the national average and that many of the children were being sent home with basic advice and information only. This suggested that self-care may have been a better option for many of the children.

YouTube Link:-

This provides a useful guide to this app – click on:-
https://youtu.be/KRBqWxSn8GI https://youtu.be/KRBqWxSn8GI