Think about health promotion opportunities in your clinical practice related to discharge planning and transfer, bearing in mind the following:

• Promoting health and wellbeing of the child and family is a vital part of the role of the nurse (Moyes, 2009). Whilst children and young people are in-patients, children’s nurses can promote the health of the whole family ready for discharge (Hopia et al., 2004).
• Parents and children need information on health education and/or promotion which may prevent a reoccurrence of the child’s ill health, and children’s nurses should ‘make every contact count’ (NHS, 2014). Such contacts should include teaching hand washing techniques if these are observed as inadequate, or safe preparation and administration of feeds for a child receiving enteral feeding, or home safety information for a child who has sustained an injury at home. Documenting what and when things are taught is essential, along with a review date for refreshing education given. This should be clearly stated within the care plan for each child/family.