Community Paediatrics

The Community Paediatric team, part of an integrated child health service based within the acute trust(UHNM), consists of Consultant Paediatricians, Associate Specialists and Specialty doctors. We also have up to 5 paediatric trainees at any one time learning with us.

All Consultants, Associate Specialists and Specialty doctors offer specialist medical services to the local population and as a team we manage the medical needs of children with the most chronic complex needs and the most vulnerable groups of children within the locality.

We all work well within multidisciplinary and multi-agency teams and have strong links with local health visitors, school nurses, education, social services and therapy teams.

Our aim is to support the medical needs of all children and young people within the city, Newcastle and Staffordshire Moorlands with complex health needs and disability to enable them and their families to get the best from their childhood, adolescent, and transition to adulthood.

All consultants take referrals from GP’s, health visitors, school nurses and from hospital colleagues of any child with suspected developmental problems and are responsible for the assessment, investigation and diagnosis of conditions causing developmental impairment. After assessment and diagnosis we may stay involved with the on-going management of medical needs  that require our specialist input  in hospital, at home and in their educational setting.

As a team we offer many of our services in locations close to our patients. We offer outreach developmental clinics, and developmental clinics in the hospital and Child Development Centre. We offer children who attend special schools, who have on going medical needs, appointments in their schools which allows for good communication between health and education.

Our team does not deliver direct therapy to children neither do we manage behavioural difficulties but we will work with other universal services to help rule out medical causes of behavioural problems if indicated.

Referrals are accepted from a range of professionals including GP’s, health visitors, school nurses, therapists and early years intervention staff/educational psychology.