Archives of disease in childhood
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To examine the demographic and perinatal factors involved in the presentation of newborn babies to a paediatric emergency department (PED) and outcome following attendance. ⋯ Large numbers of babies attend the PED in the first 2 weeks of life, commonly out of hours, from deprived areas and with feeding difficulties. A quarter of babies attending are admitted to hospital, with one-third discharged following an overnight stay. Services should be reevaluated, particularly in this current financial climate, in an attempt to find new models of care for these young babies.