New patient appointments last around 60-90 minutes depending on child’s age. Follow-up appointments will last around 30-45 minutes.
At the first appointment, the clinician will ask you for information about:
- you or other’s mains concerns about your child,
- your child’s past medical and health information, including their birth development,
- hospital admissions or illnesses, medications, allergies and immunisations,
- how your child is getting on at school or nursery,
- who else is in the family or living at home, family history and whether or not any support services have been needed, such as children and young people’s services.
Children will be involved in this process as far as they are able to participate. Your child will be physically examined (in most cases) – we will measure height, weight and sometimes blood pressure and pulse.
The clinician will discuss with you their initial thoughts about the concerns you have. They will agree a plan with you and offer recommendations, where needed. The next steps may include the following:
- gather further specific information and questionnaires from school or other professionals who may know your child,
- signpost to services that can support you or your child with the concerns you have,
- signpost to more information about the possible cause of your concerns,
- ask (refer) to other professionals to see your child to give additional information or support where needed,
- arrange further medical tests (such as blood tests or scans), if appropriate,
- discuss the possibility of medication, if appropriate,
- agree a review timescale and type of appointment,
- discharge from Community Paediatrics, if our service is not needed.
Some things to bear in mind for the appointment
Sometimes parents wish to have a discussion with the doctor without their child present. Should this be the case please arrange for another adult to come with you so that your child can be supervised while you talk in private.
It is common for us to need to liaise with your child’s school, local children’s centre and other teams that may be involved, in order for us to have a complete picture of your child.
We will seek your consent to share information. After the clinic we will write a letter summarising the appointment. You will receive a copy of this. With your agreement we may copy this to other professionals involved with your child.
What to bring to the appointment
If possible please bring your child’s health record (the ‘Red Book’), especially if your child is under five. Please also bring reports from other professionals and the latest school report, if you have them.
Contacting us
If you cannot attend the appointment offered please contact us as soon as possible so that we can offer it to another family. We will invite you to attend on an alternative date.
0300 123 4087
kcht.CommunityPaediatrics@nhs.net