A new initiative is being launched in hospital emergency departments in England to help identify sick children who are deteriorating quickly. The National Paediatric Early Warning System (PEWS) will ask staff to check, log, and grade vital signs such as blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels. A high overall score will trigger an immediate escalation of care. This system is designed to prevent 'corridor care', where children are treated in hospital corridors due to long waits for hospital beds. The initiative is a response to the death of two-year-old Finlay Roberts, who died in 2024 after spending hours in a hospital corridor. The NHS has already introduced a similar system for adults, and over 90 hospitals in England have been using it in children's wards. The system is named after Martha Mills, who died in 2021 after her family's concerns about her worsening condition were not listened to. The new system is a collaboration between NHS England, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and the Royal College of Nursing. It aims to improve care for children and young people in emergency departments, particularly during the winter months when the NHS is under pressure. The system will also include a dedicated phone number for staff to call to trigger an urgent review of a patient's care.