Children and Young People’s Services

Overview

Improving the quality of care for children and young people in Hertfordshire and West Essex

It can be extremely stressful when your child is unwell. We know that there is a huge amount of information available at your fingertips, but finding something that provides clear and accurate information is not always easy!

The resources on the Healthier Together website have been developed in partnership between parents and healthcare professionals from across Hertfordshire and West Essex. You'll find clear information on common childhood illnesses, including advice on what 'red-flag' signs to look out for, where to seek help if required, what you should do to keep your child comfortable and how long your child's symptoms are likely to last.

Most importantly, the resources are used not only by parents but also by healthcare professionals. This means that you and your child are receiving consistently high-quality care, irrespective of which healthcare provider you take them to see. And their advice is likely to mirror that on the Healthier Together website. Reducing unnecessary variation improves the overall quality of care and reduces the parental anxiety that inconsistent advice generates

Core Principles

Parents feel empowered about whether and when they need to seek the advice of a healthcare professional.
Parents are clearly signposted to appropriate healthcare services when required.
At every point of contact, the healthcare practitioner (doctor, nurse, paramedic, pharmacist) should have a clear understanding of the limits of their own competence and when and where to seek guidance.
Parents should receive consistent and appropriate advice across all the health service providers in SYB.
Standardisation of local referral pathways and clinical guidelines, which are understood by all healthcare practitioners.
Effective communication and information sharing between healthcare practitioners and services across all health services in SYB should be in place.

We have actively listened to the views of parents/carers accessing the service as well as the healthcare professionals delivering urgent care paediatric services. By working together we aim to improve how care is delivered to children and young people in Hertfordshire and West Essex.

To find out more and access the Healthier Together website:

click here

Promotion of Herts and West Essex Healthier Together website – tailored toolkit for HWE ICS

Click here to read more

A new platform for children's nurses has been established to allow professionals to connect, share information and enhance their skills.

The Children and Young People's Nursing Network is a supportive community which will provide a space for dedicated and enthusiastic professionals to share best practice, exchange knowledge, collaborate and learn.

(non NHS staff please email england.cypnursesnetwork@nhs.net

Children and Young People's Nursing Network Flyer

Download

Please find below a number of documents which will support you with Safeguarding Children Referrals.

7 Minute Briefing_Gateway and Referrals

April 2024

Download

Making a referral to Children's Services for professionals - How to Guide

May 2024

Download

Leaflet for Families - HSCP

Download

Improving the quality and process of referrals_Online referral portal and form launch

May 2024

Download

Making a referral to Childrens Services

Download

Hertfordshire's Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS)

Please find below the link to the latest digital Hertfordshire CYPMHS System news bulletin for GPs (this link will direct you to the latest version):

Hertfordshire CYPMHS System Newsletter

Please also watch these short films.

We hope you find the news bulletin and these films useful. Please send any feedback and suggestions about other information that might be helpful to: lisa.gazeley@hertfordshire.gov.uk (CYPMHS Communications and Engagement Manager).

The Tier 2 West Herts Children and Young People’s Continence Service is expanding across Hertfordshire

Please do not refer to our service until we have sent you our ‘Go Live’ email with reminders of how to refer and referral criteria.

We are a Tier 2 continence service that provides comprehensive bladder and bowel assessment for children and young people with continence issues, where Tier 1 interventions (by GP’s, school health nurses and health visitors), have not worked. We sit between Tier 1 and Tier 3 (hospital-based care). We care for children aged 4-18 years.

Key findings from the East and North Herts caseload so far:

Children and Young People with continence issues have not had access to the Tier 2 service.
Health professionals at Tier 1 have not previously had the optimum training and support around Tier 1 intervention and early management of continence issues.
Most of the children are being managed by the acute trust at Tier 3 causing large numbers of patients waiting for consultant care, that could otherwise be managed in the community.
Children and Young People are presenting to ED with long term constipation or being admitted to hospital for disimpaction or enemas. Specialist Adult Urology Nurses are having to see huge numbers of children with continence issues in the acute trust.

Our aims:

Align the three Tiers (please see continence commissioning guidance attached), to ensure children and young people are having the correct early intervention at Tier 1 and that appropriate referrals are coming into Tier 2.
To ensure health professionals at Tier 1 understand the correct early management and know how to refer a patient to us. Even once referred there is a waiting list and so early intervention at Tier 1 is paramount, especially if constipation is identified.
Ensure that only children with red flags, safeguarding concerns or resistant continence issues are being referred to Tier 3 Consultant/ Hospital care.
To ensure that professionals at Tier 1 are empowered to manage children and young people with early signs of continence issues and understand the referral process to Tier 2.

What you need to do:

Please attend our training session on 20th June (HWE Primary care webinar) for more information
Please visit Home - ERIC for more information on early management of children with continence issues
Please read the following commissioning guidance PCF-Childrens-Continence-Commissioning-Guide-Dec-2019.pdf (bbuk.org.uk)
Please visit our website (Please note this will be updated to reflect county wide service over the coming months

We look forward to meeting you on the 20th June and working with you in the future. We will start by taking on the children and young people in continence products from June/July 2023. We anticipate clinics and patients who are not in continence products can be referred to caseload in Autumn 2023, where 3 months of Tier 1 intervention have not had an impact on their continence issue. If you have any questions, please do email us on hct.continencecyp@nhs.net

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