Specialist health services provide expert advice for children and young people with extra needs.
Staying well is essential to the health and wellbeing of all children and young people in Solihull. Children and young people with special educational needs may require access to targeted and specialist local health services to support their specific needs.
Children's Community Therapies
Paediatric Physiotherapists treat children and young people who have physical conditions which affect normal childhood development. They use techniques which contribute towards the overall development of children in order that they can become as independent as possible in childhood and onwards to adulthood.
Paediatric Speech and Language Therapists (SLT) provide assessment advice and treatment to people who have communication impairment and/or a feeding and swallowing difficulty. This includes difficulties with speech and language, voice, fluency and social communication.
SLTs adopt a patient centred approach respecting the individual individual’s needs and opinions. Their aim is to work with the
child, family and other professionals in order for the child to develop independent, functional communication.
Occupational Therapists (OTs) are interested in how young people manage the everyday activities that keep them busy (‘occupy’ them) at home, at school and during their leisure time. Their aim is to identify the activities your child wants or needs to do and to find ways to make these activities easier for the young person, their family, teachers and others involved with the child.
Information on assessments for children with sensory needs in Solihull can be found here.
Paediatrics and Specialist Assessment
Community Paediatricians are Doctors who specialise in developmental, behavioural and social difficulties of children relating to specific conditions.
Referrals can be made to the Community Paediatrics service by GP’s, Health Visitors, School Nurses and in some circumstances school staff or social workers: Community Paediatrics Referral Form.
Due to an increase in demand for our Community Paediatric Service we have changed the way in which you can reach our service.
Telephone:
We have dedicated lines for cancelling of appointments, ordering repeat prescriptions (prescriptions will be at the designated destination by 10 working days), and a general enquiry line (messages left on this line will be responded to within 24 hours).
0121 746 4473 - Prescription line.
0121 746 4455 – Appointment cancellations.
0121 746 4473 or 0121 746 4455 selecting option 3 - general enquiries
Whichever number is used there are options to access the prescription line, appointment cancellations and general enquiries so a new call is not needed if a number has been dialled incorrectly.
All of these telephone lines have a 24 hour answer machines available 7 days a week.
The lines are open every day Monday to Friday between 9am and 11am for parents to speak to a member of staff, but these lines are very busy so callers may still get the answer machine during these times. We encourage families to please leave a message with a child/ young persons name, date of birth and home address and the number you wish us to call you back on so we can access the right record for information and get back to you in a timely way.
Outside of our answering hours if messages are left we try to responded within 24 hours within our office hours – Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm.
Email:
Our team can also be contacted via email:
communitypaedsscripts@uhb.nhs.uk – this is for parents ordering repeat prescriptions only, or who have prescription queries.
communitypaediatricteam@uhb.nhs.uk – this is for parents to use to send queries/questions/share information/return questionnaires to be forwarded to their child’s paediatrician.
soladhd.nursingteam@uhb.nhs.uk – this is for parents to use to send queries/questions/share information/return questionnaires to the ADHD nursing team.
We aim to reply to all emails within 72 working hours
The Community Paediatrics service is not an acute or urgent care provider. If a child is unwell or they require an urgent medical review they should contact their GP surgery or call NHS 111.
The SAS works with children who have either complex medical and developmental needs or with children and young people where their difficulties may indicate an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For children with complex medical needs they may also provide coordinated therapeutic work to meet a child’s needs.
Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA):
The Specialist Assessment Service developed an assessment model to consider the possibility that a child/young person may have PDA. This has been published and is freely accessible.
You can find further information at the University Hospitals Birmingham website.
ADHD frequently asked questions (for parents)
The link below provides information on the nurse led ADHD referral pathway and supplementary information.
All ADHD referrals are to be completed by the child or young person’s school / education provider. If a child / young person is not in an education setting this may be completed by the GP.
Referrals that are incomplete will not be accepted for assessment and more information will be requested.
All ADHD referrals are to be completed by the child or young person’s school / education provider. If a child / young person is not in an education setting this may be completed by the GP.
Referrals that are incomplete will not be accepted for assessment and more information will be requested.
All referrals for ADHD should be completed on the primary / secondary referral document that is appropriate for the child or young person’s age and sent to soladhd.nursingteam@uhb.nhs.uk:
Community Nursing Service
The Children's Community Nursing team support children and families with complex and palliative health care needs. The team consists of Registered Children Children’s Nurses who have a range of nursing experience from different specialities. They support and empower parents/carers to look after their child at home, support access to different environments e.g. nurseries and schools, promote early discharge from hospital and reduce hospital admissions.
All children who are educated in one of Solihull Solihull’s special schools should have the contact details of the special school nurse for their school and the Community Children Children’s Nursing office contact details for out of term time support. If a family are unsure they can also contact the nurses via each school reception.
The special school nurse is available to provide advice and support in relation to health and public health for children, support with medical needs within the school setting including care plans for teachers/ staff, training for staff and ‘hands on on’ care for medication, feed or complex care delivery. They will also support with continence and safeguarding advice. The special school nurse should be the first point of contact for all parents with a query in relation to their child child’s health and well being.
The Learning Disability Nursing team provide advice and support to families of children with moderate to severe learning disability on the implementation of strategies to enable your child to reach their full potential in the following areas:
Other services
The Children in Care Health Team provides dedicated support to promote the health and wellbeing of children and young people in care. The team travels up to 30 miles from the Solihull clinic base to complete health assessments, ensuring accessibility and continuity of care for children and young people living across the area.
Statutory health assessments are carried out to identify any unmet health needs and to develop individual health care plans. Actions and recommendations arising from these assessments are shared with relevant professionals and services to ensure appropriate follow-up. Progress against these actions is reviewed at each subsequent assessment, or sooner if required. The specialist children in care nurses offer opportunities to discuss overall health, lifestyle, and health promotion, ensuring that every young person receives holistic and person-centred care.
As young people prepare to leave care, comprehensive health summaries are provided to support a smooth and informed transition into adulthood.
In addition to direct support for children and young people, the team also offers advice and guidance to the professionals involved in their care. This may include contributing health expertise at multi-agency meetings to promote coordinated and effective support.
Physical Needs Team – Solihull Children's Community Therapies
Some children with physical difficulties require specialist equipment in order to support them to access their everyday activities. Many of the children we see for this have been referred to us by the Specialist Assessment Service.
We work closely with colleagues in the Specialist Inclusion Support Service physical impairment team to support young people with physical disabilities in mainstream schools, recommending adaptations and adjustments to ensure young people are able to safely access their school environments.
As part of our role, we might also recommend specialist seating for school and/or home to make it easier for the young person to participate in their everyday activities, such as to write and draw, play, interact with friends and eat or drink. Note that we do not have funding to provide specialist seating, but will provide a letter to schools/social services explaining the cost and benefits of the chair for the individual. Once equipment has been provided, the occupational therapist will ensure this is set up for the young person and will provide training/support to ensure it is used safely
Ross Care provide both the NHS Wheelchair Service and Approved Repairer Service to eligible residents of Solihull.
Our dedicated Wheelchair Service team will assess and prescribe wheelchairs, postural support and pressure cushions to meet your clinical and mobility needs. They work closely with community teams to ensure you receive a holistic assessment and are aware of all the options available to you.
Our Approved Repairer team will repair and maintain the equipment provided to you.
School nurses within mainstream schools in Solihull no longer provide assessment and referral of children for continence supplies.
School nurses are commissioned by Solihull Council to deliver the Healthy Child Programme and are able to offer basic advice and support on nocturnal enuresis (Bedwetting), constipation and toilet training problems. Other health professionals to whom a child may be known, eg community children’s nursing team, do still assess and refer for continence supplies where appropriate.
The Continence service at Grove Road Clinic (Telephone: 0121 704 2381) is unable to assess a child for continence supplies but they are able to provide supplies to eligible children on receipt of a referral from a GP or any other health professional who is qualified to see a child. Any child with a special needs diagnosis will qualify to receive continence supplies.
Further information and advice can be found at: