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The North Community Children's Nursing Team includes the Palliative and Complex Care Team, the Constipation Clinic and Hospital at Home.
Palliative and Complex Care Team
The Palliative and Complex Care Team (PACCT) element provides holistic nursing support and care for children with a palliative life limiting or complex health condition.
- To work in partnership with the child and family, providing real choice as to how and where they receive nursing care and support
- Support and health education in order to facilitate self-care and independence
- Children and their families will have easy access to expert nursing advice and support from a dedicated senior named nurse
- End of life care at home
- A holistic all-encompassing approach to care throughout the child and family’s journey. Care co-ordination as required by the child/family to optimise improved outcomes
Palliative/life limiting:
- Access to short break service
- Access for up to 24-hour nursing support for symptom management with syringe drivers in place
- A holistic approach aimed at avoiding admission to acute setting`s wherever safe and appropriate to do so. Including care co-ordination, liaison with Community Paediatrician, referrals into other services, teaching and support with healthcare interventions
- Assessment of nursing need for any child identified as having a life limiting/life threatening condition as identified in the Together for Short Life Limiting Care Categories and supported by a Paediatrician
- Individualised care planning to support children and families, and where appropriate, contribute to any statutory assessments undertaken by or required by Specialised Services (social care), Continuing Care and Education
- Supporting end of life at home in concordance with the child’s and families wishes alongside their Advanced Care Plan
- Care co-ordination as required by the child/family to optimise improved outcomes
- Specialist nursing input aimed at avoiding admission to acute setting wherever safe and appropriate to do so
- An individual transition care plan between paediatric and adult-oriented health services will be coordinated. Ensuring adequate time to transition into Adult Services.
- The service accepts GP or Consultant referral`s for patients living in Staffordshire with a palliative or complex health condition with a current nursing need
- The child and family must be aware of the referral and have given informed consent
- The child must be thought to have a specific health care/nursing need that is life limiting/threatening or complex in nature that requires the expertise of a community children’s nurse
As recognised by Together for Short Lives “Categories of life-limiting and life-threatening conditions”.
By telephone: 01782 306033
By post: Children's Community Nursing Service (Inc PACCT & H@H), Hazel Trees, Duke Street, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST4 3NR
Constipation Clinic
The Children's Constipation Clinic offers support for children and families to become self-caring with constipation. The service supports children and families to manage medication including dis-impaction regimes, and provides education to manage problems through diet, exercise and good toileting routines. With support from their own GPs.
Constipation Clinic operates once weekly. Clinic appointments are offered on Thursdays, between 1pm-6pm, at Hazel Trees, Duke Street, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 3NR.
- We do not accept children under 1 year
- We do not accept children bleeding per rectum
- We do not accept children with a diagnosis of failure to thrive/weight loss
- We do not accept children with vomiting related to impaction
- We do not accept a child already under a gastroenterologist for constipation
- All referrals must have had a formal diagnosis of constipation by a GP or nurse practitioner, within the last 3 months
- All referrals must come from a medic, alongside evidence of previous treatment plans
Triage for suitability to the service is completed by a Paediatric Community Nurse in line with current guidelines: "NICE CG99 “Constipation in children and young people: diagnosis and management (2017)".
By telephone: 01782 306031
By post: Children's Community Nursing Service (Inc PACCT & H@H), Hazel Trees, Duke Street, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 3NR
Hospital at Home
Hospital at Home is a paediatric community nursing service supporting children (0-16 years old) and their families within their own homes to facilitate recovery from short term acute childhood illnesses. The service supports GPs and the University Hospital of North Midlands to offer a safer alternative for unnecessary hospital admissions and support early discharge where safe to do so.
- Admission to the service is completed via telephone referral from GP, Paediatric Consultant or Advanced Nurse Practitioner. All patients are measured SEPSIS guidelines 2016 Partners in Paediatrics (PIP) 2018-2020, alongside the urgent care pathway
- The service does not receive referrals directly from parents.
- Assessment and care management of acute illness/conditions in agreement with referrer.
- Individualised care planning supporting self-efficacy
- Monitoring and observation in agreement with the child/family
- Referral into other services if/as deemed appropriate in agreement with the child/family.
By telephone: 01782 306033 (this is a dedicated referral line) - opening hours: 9am to 9pm, 7 days per week (9am to 5pm on Bank Holidays)
By post: Children's Community Nursing Service (Inc PACCT & Hospital @ Home), Hazel Trees, Duke Street, Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 3NR
