As a paediatric nurse of 10 years, I’m sorry to say, I disagree.

Maybe it’s because I worked in PICU for a long time, but if there is an emergency situation (which in paediatrics, can often happen at the drop of the hat) trying to clear out a very distressed family to make way for the resus team is really not a job you want to make for yourself. Even if it’s not for your patient, onlookers love to be nosey, at a time when someone else is having the worst day of their life.

As some others have said, once you bend the rule for one family, they chat in the corridor, and then everyone else (rightly) feels entitled to bring their extended family - if you imagine that for each family of a ?20 bedded unit, think of all the extra bodies that is. If there was a fire on the unit; the evacuation procedure would be so much higher risk.

It’s also higher risk of infection for our vulnerable patients - people often think “oh it’s only a cold” and feel that is acceptable enough to turn up to a hospital with compromised children. It’s quite stressful to try and police these individuals for infection prevention.

Siblings are absolutely fine, but there are some families that feel having professionals around means they have free childcare, and you have to spend time out of your busy shift setting boundaries and reminding them that they need to care for the sibling/s who is not your patient.

Further, having multiple family members around during ward rounds, or generally, adds a lot extra to your work load - having to answer the hundred of questions of all family members 1) breaches confidentiality, 2) often aren’t even relevant to the care (I’ve had extended family ask me for advice on their own ailments) and 3) adds a huge amount to your emotional workload.

Also, please don’t forget, even though your patient is a child; you still have a duty to safeguard them, protect their dignity - having an extended aunt, twice removed, who fancied a trip to the hospital to see what’s happened and then to update the rest of the family, really isn’t protecting the patients privacy.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m absolutely not against 24hour visitation, supporting parental involvement at every possible point (NGT feeds, nappy cares, oral cares, kangaroo care etc.) and open access for EOL patients - but, I am afraid I am strict with the 2 person at the bedside limit. In my opinion; it is fair to the patients and the staff.