Developing a community child health service for the 21st century

CARE GROUP Children from birth to school age and their carers

STANDARD STATEMENT

All children and young person's clinics will provide a flexible child friendly service appropriate to needs of the client and profession

STRUCTURE

1. The child/young person will receive an appointment to see a community paediatrician at the health centre.

PROCESS

• Written information about the clinics will be available to potential referrers.
• Referrals may be made either to the named clinic doctor or to the community paediatric patch team leader:
  i) in writing, by letter or standard referral form, for routine appointments.
  ii) by telephone followed up in writing for urgent appointments

• The doctor after receiving the referral will indicate level of urgency when appointment is to be made to a named appointment clerk.
• All appointments will be within eight weeks of receipt of referral.
• The named clerk will be responsible for;
  i) Obtaining the records for each clinic session and returning them at the end of the session.
  ii) Ensuring that follow-up outcomes and appointments as indicated on clinic outcomes sheet are made and appointment letter sent to family at least two weeks before appointment is due.

OUTCOME

• Referrers will be aware of the role and purpose of the clinic

• Professionals involved with children will be able to access and request an assessment by a community paediatrician at a local clinic

• Routine appointments will be within eight weeks of a referral being received by the Trust.
  i) The doctor will have the individuals records for the clinic
  ii) Families will receive notification of an appointment within a minimum of two weeks notice of the appointment date

STRUCTURE

2. Provision of safe and stimulating child friendly environment during clinic experience.

PROCESS

• Each clinic has a designated, named health care assistant or person.

• On arrival to the clinic a health care assistant or designated person will greet and direct them through the clinic experience.

• The health care assistant will be responsible for:
  i) Setting up the clinic with suitable clean and safe toys etc.
  ii) All toys to conform to British safety standards
  iii) Soft toys have potential cause infection control risks therefore should not be used within the clinic environment.
  iv) Damaged or broken toys should be removed from clinic environment
  v) Opportunities for colouring or painting ( if practical ) should be encouraged and if necessary aprons should be provided
  vi) Children's artwork if donated could provide wall decoration within clinic areas

OUTCOME

• Families will have an identified clinic support staff

• Family receives a pleasant clinic and supportive experience. At the clinic clients will be made to feel welcome and will be able to wait in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere
  i) Provision of a safe stimulating environment for child and their family
  ii) Health and safety addressed
  iii) Infection control issues addressed
  iv) Hazardous toys removed from clinic environment
  v) Children's own artwork produced to take home or donate

STRUCTURE

3. Each Child and Young Person's health clinic will have a named and designated clinic support worker with clinic duties.

PROCESS

• Named clinic support worker ( HCA) will be identifiable to individual families when attending clinic by introduction and badge identification

• Responsibilities will include:
  i) ensuring that each session is properly set up with working equipment, records and stationery in clinic rooms
  ii) undertakes measurements of height, weight and head circumference (when necessary) of the child
  iii) assists the doctor and supports the child undergoing blood or urine specimen taking
  iv) supports and looks after child in the waiting area when parents are being seen separately with the doctor
  v) ensures that equipment required by the doctor ie. Blood taking equipment (needles, syringes blood bottles ) is in date and well stocked and is easily accessible
  vi) basic medicines, i.e. Paracetomol, Emla or Ametop cream is in stock and in date

OUTCOME

• Effective and smooth running clinic

• Doctor receives up-to-date information

• Child and family feels supported through difficult and invasive procedure

• Child is safe during consultation between parent and doctor

• Equipment is available and safe to use

• Medicines can be safely used by the doctor or HCA when prescribed