CONTINUING HEALTH CARE PACKAGES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG

CONTINUING HEALTH CARE PACKAGES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Continuing Care Team Members • Lead Nurse Assessor: Alison Steer • Lead Nurse Neurology ITB Nurse Specialist: Karen O’Brien • Nurse Assessor: Helen Dodd • Staff Nurses and team of support workers • Admin Co-ordinator: Elaine Hague

What is Continuing Care? • A continuing care package will be required when a child or young person has needs arising from disability, accident or illness that CAN NOT be met by existing services available.

How can a child be referred for Assessment? • A referral can be made by any professional involved in a child’s care. This can be either via a current Common Assessment Framework form (CAF) or receipt of a completed referral form, referral forms can be obtained from the Continuing Health Care Team. All CAF forms and referral forms to be submitted to the postal address.

Who will carry out the Assessment? • The assessment will be co-ordinated by a Specialist Nurse Assessor who will visit the child and family and will obtain supporting reports from the multi-disciplinary team.

What does an Assessment involve • Completion of a Decision Support Tool (DST) with assistance from parents • The DST is divided into sub sections: – – – – – Challenging Behaviour Communication Mobility Nutrition, Food & Drink Continence & Elimination Skin & Tissue Viability Breathing Drug Therapies & Medicines Psychological & Emotional Needs Seizures • Each section is scored accordingly i. e. No additional needs/low/moderate/high or severe

How long does the Assessment process take? • Once a referral is made the Assessment will take • approximately 4 to 6 weeks to complete and will be submitted to the appropriate commissioning body for consideration of the recommendations made. If the child does not qualify for health funding, a notification will be sent to the appropriate commissioning body and a letter of confirmation of the outcome is sent to the family.

What happens when a package is agreed • Helena Team for Children with homecare packages i. e Long Term Ventilated, technology dependant, specific conditions • School Support Staff employed by Education • 3 way funding between Health, Social Care and Education Child specific package eg Bents Green & Gibson House

What happens after a package of homecare has been agreed? • Once recommendations have been accepted and funding is secured employment and training of staff will begin. The child is allocated a Key Worker within the Helena Specialist Nursing Team who will work with the family to ensure a smooth transition from hospital to home or transition into school.

School Support • If the funding is for one to one support due to health reasons within school then the school will usually employ these individuals, although training can be provided by Helena Nursing Team.

3 way funding • Health, Social Care and Education will work together to provide a package designed for each child on an individual basis, hopefully keeping the child in Sheffield, agreed at Childrens Trust Panel, if it is thought that child will have a Health need early referral is advantageous as an Assessment can be complete before Panel sits.

Who can be referred? • Any child who has a disability or illness which requires extra input and help than the primary services and specialist services can offer. They have to have exhausted all other available services and still need further input. • The bar for triggering the tool is high.

How to Contact the Team • The Continuing Health Care Team is based on nd the 2 nd floor of Ryegate House at Ryegate Children’s Centre. • Office Details: Elaine Hague 0114 3053020 Admin Co-ordinator Continuing Health Care Helena Specialist Nursing Team Ryegate Children’s Centre Tapton Crescent Road SHEFFIELD S 10 5 DD Email: continuinghealthcare@sch. nhs. uk or Continuing. healthcare 1@nhs. net

Any Questions?