Mini mouth care matters: A response to unheeded oral health needs in alder hey Children’s hospital

In response to overlooked oral health needs among hospitalised children in Alder Hey Children's Hospital (AHCH), an initiative known as 'Mini Mouth Care Matters' (MMCM), was implemented to improve children's mouthcare by appropriately training healthcare professionals (HCPs) to be confident and knowledgeable in assessing, providing and promoting oral health among hospitalised children. Commissioned by Liverpool City Council, the launch of MMCM in AHCH commenced in February 2024. Previous surveys in the hospital indicated a need for oral care training. Implementation of MMCM involved streaming an e-learning course and videos for HCPs and children on the hospital website, drop-in sessions in the wards, study day training sessions, allocation and training of champions and provision of mouth care packs. Several challenges were encountered during the preparation of the resources and the implementation of the intervention. One key lesson learned is that it is preferable for the manager or team responsible for implementation to come from within the organisation. This allows them to leverage their connections and navigate the hospital's workload dynamics. Theory-based process and outcomes evaluation is planned to understand the effect of MMCM implementation on its effectiveness and to study MMCM normalisation within routine clinical practice. The evaluation of MMCM will contribute to understanding the impact of oral health interventions in hospital settings and will inform future strategies to improve oral care practices and outcomes for hospitalised children.