Dr Gina Clarke
Vacant post
Dr Rachel Pegg
Dr Jyothi Gundabolu
Dr Narasimhamurty Malla
01872 254514
01872 254516
We provide assessment, diagnosis and ongoing coordination of care, alongside our professional colleagues in education and social care. Our service is personalised for each child. Most children will be seen and reviewed within the team, receive advice on available options and support and then be discharged from the service. Others will enter an assessment pathway or a long-term care pathway.
For some children, we will simply assess them, make a diagnosis, and then signpost the family to the relevant services for ongoing treatment, advice or support. We may continue to follow up until the child’s needs are being met and they are making satisfactory progress. We also often support families undergoing assessment for special educational needs.
We also provide ongoing, long-term care for significant and complex neurodevelopmental difficulties such as Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome and Global Developmental Delay.
This care is delivered by a team of paediatricians, including consultants, staff and associate specialists, with registrars (junior doctors) providing a supporting service. We work in preschools, schools and special schools.
The exact care team and care pathway will depend on the child’s needs. We usually see preschool children every six months and school-age children once a year, but again, this is determined by the child’s needs and may well be more often if they have extremely complex needs.
We often see our patients in a clinic setting and try to see families as close to their homes as possible. We may also visit children and young people in their daily lives or at school, when needed. Our clinics take place across the whole county from the Isles of Scilly to Liskeard, Launceston and Bude.
We see young people with long term conditions until they are between 16 and 18. We then support their transition to adult services, which may be the young person’s General Practitioner. Our team works closely with these young people and their families to make sure they have all the necessary information and preparation and that the transition is as smooth as possible.
We accept referrals from any professional working with a child, such as a GP, health workers, school nurses, therapists, SENCOs, teachers and social care professionals. We do not currently accept referrals direct from parents.
If you would like to refer a child with whom you are working, please check our referral criteria and submit a written referral to rch-tr.CommunityPaediatricTeam@nhs.net.
GPs can also refer through Choose and Book or the Referral Management System.
If you are unsure whether a child is eligible for a referral to Community Child Health, or you don’t know what service you need, you can contact the Cornwall Early Help Hub. The Early Help Hub provides support in both early childhood and early in the development of a problem. They can listen to the problems the child is facing and signpost you towards the most appropriate service. Visit their website or call on 01872 322277.
Effective partnership working is crucial to promoting and improving health outcome for all children in care.
Our roles include:
Children in Care Health Team
Child Health Department
Pendragon House
Gloweth
Truro TR1 3XQ
01872 254590 or 01872 254515 (office hours)
Dr Eleanor McCartney
Liz Allan
Katie Gilbert
Hilary Trevarthen
Simon Boulton
Catherine Boyle
Sue Tett
Lydia Rawe
Kate Rowland
Marilyn Ashwin
Dese Pearce
Karyn Brunger
0300 1234 101 (9am to 5pm)
0300 1231 116 (out of hours)
RCHT subscribes to the South West Child Protection Procedures and is a core member of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Safeguarding Children Partnership.
Leigh-Anne Reardon (specialist safeguarding nurse)
01872 254549 or page via the switchboard on 01872 250000
A
vailable Monday to Friday 8-5pm
Simon Bedwani
01872 252965 or page via the switchboard on 01872 250000
Bernie Dolan, Suzie Williams and Sarah Hawke (specialist safeguarding midwife)
01872 254549 or page via the switchboard on 01872 250000
Available Monday to Friday 8-5pm
Medical advice on safeguarding is available 365 days a year. The community paediatric team provide advice from 7am to 7pm on weekdays and from 9am to 1pm on weekends and bank holidays. The on-call paediatric registrar will be able to provide advice outside of these hours
Please call 01872 254552 Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm and Friday 9am to 4pm.
Please call the Royal Cornwall Hospital switchboard on 01872 250000 at all other times and they will put you through to the available team for advice.
If necessary, please discuss with the Named Nurse or Named Doctor (contact via switchboard on 01872 250000).
We have occupational therapists, physiotherapists and dietitians who deliver therapy in children’s homes, schools and from treatment bases in Truro, Penzance, St Austell and Redruth.
The Children’s Community Therapy Service is based at Dolphin House Child Development Centre at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro. Dolphin House is also home to a wide range of professionals, including paediatricians, therapists and local authority professionals who all work together to provide coordinated care for children with atypical development and disability.
Our physios assess movement abilities and plan individual treatment programmes to encourage development and independence. We also show parents and carers how to carry out exercises and activities so that the child practices them regularly.
We accept referrals from any health or education professional who knows the child or young person. If you would like to make a referral, please email: jane.jackson29@nhs.net.
Our OTs assess functional and sensory needs and work with parents and carers to enable children to become as independent as possible.
This is likely to include a course of activities designed to increase range of movement, coordination and sensory awareness.
If you live in North or East Cornwall, these children’s therapy services are delivered by alternative providers.
We accept referrals from a health or education professional who knows the child or young person. If you would like to refer a child, please email: jane.jackson29@nhs.net.
We provide dietetic support to disabled children, their families and the professionals who work with them. Our focus is on children diagnosed with a disability who are eating and/or drinking, and who are at risk of under-nutrition.
We provide individual dietetic assessment and treatment for children who meet the referral criteria and offer self-referral workshops for parents/carers. We can also point you towards information, advice and other services and offer training for professionals.
To refer a disabled child to the dietetic service, please email: jane.jackson29@nhs.net.
Our dietitians also work with young children (6 and under) who are significantly overweight as part of the tier 3 multi-disciplinary Lifestyles, Eating & Activity for Families (LEAF) Programme. To find out more about referral criteria please click here.
We also provides support and training for professionals working with children and families around weight management. For more information, or to make a referral, please contact us at LEAF.programme@nhs.net.