Community healthcare services
Community Healthcare services across Bromley are provided by Bromley Healthcare. These include services that everyone can use known as universal services, Bromley 0 to 19 Children’s Public Health Service, Children’s Therapies, Children’s Community Nursing Service including Hospital at Home, Community Paediatrics and Audiology. They also provide the Hollybank specialist short break respite care service.
All young people, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported to make a successful transition from children’s to adult health services.
Young people with an EHCP
From Year 9 onwards, the annual review of EHC plan meeting will focus on preparing for adulthood and should include discussions about transition to adult health services.
Activities that support independence and preparing for adulthood will be included and interventions advised for the young person from this time.
Young people will be supported to transition by the age of 18 years or up to 19 if they attend a special school.
Young people without an EHCP
As for young people with an EHCP, young people without a plan will start their transition to adult services from Year 9 onwards, around 14 years old.
Where the young person has complex needs and with their consent, the family/carers will be involved so they can agree the proposed plan of care.
Transition will include a transition plan, which ensures that the young person and relevant professionals have access to essential information about the young person. The plan reflects the young person’s involvement.
The services will liaise with other health, education and Local Authority professionals in a multi-disciplinary meeting if required to discuss the safe and seamless transition of the young person.
Where it has not been possible to transfer a young person to adult services, the GP will be informed so that the care of the young person can be transferred back to primary care.
The young person should be aware of who is responsible for their on-going care before they are discharged from children’s services.
You can learn more about Bromley healthcare services at https://www.bromleyhealthcare.org.uk/ and https://www.bromleyhealthcare.org.uk/explore-our-services/bromley-0-to-19/.
Continuing care 0 to 18 years
A small number of children and young people, up to 18 years old, may have very complex health needs which may be the result of:
- congenital conditions
- long-term or life-limiting conditions
- disability
- serious illness or injury
Young people with complex needs may need additional health support above that routinely available from GP practices, hospitals or community-based specialist health care services.
This additional package of care and support is called continuing care.
NHS South East London Integrated Commissioning Board (NHS SELICB) has responsibility for assessing children and young people to see if they are eligible for a package of continuing care.
Any young person, up to their 18th birthday who has a complex health need may be eligible for a package of continuing healthcare. The assessment will look at the current care being provided but a decision about whether a young person has a continuing care need is based on the nature of their needs, rather than the care available and whether they have a particular condition.
Parents and other professionals are included in the assessment so that the assessor has a complete picture for the decision-making process, however, eligibility is determined based on evidenced needs.
If you think your child or young person should be assessed for NHS continuing care, talk to a health or social care professional who works with them. If they think they are likely to be eligible they will refer them to be assessed for continuing care support.
Continuing healthcare 18+
When a young person reaches the age of 18 the adult NHS continuing healthcare arrangements (CHC) apply. There are significant differences between children and young people’s continuing care and NHS continuing healthcare for adults. Although a young person may be in receipt of a package of continuing care, they may not be eligible for NHS continuing healthcare.
Where a young person is in receipt of a continuing care package they will be assessed when they are aged 16 to 17, to see if they are likely to be eligible for NHS continuing healthcare when they turn 18. There is a lead nurse in South-East London Integrated Care Board (ICB) who oversees transitions between children’s and adults continuing care and who will ensure as seamless a transition as possible.
Find out more information about NHS continuing healthcare.
If you would like to discuss a referral for a continuing healthcare assessment, contact the children’s continuing care nurse assessor at bromh.ICCNTreferrals@nhs.net.
Personal healthcare budgets
If you are eligible for NHS funded continuing care, you may also wish to have a personal healthcare budget. You can discuss this further with your continuing healthcare team.
Specialist community learning disability services 18+
The Bromley Community Learning Disability Team (CLDT) provides specialist community health services to people over the age of 18 who have learning disabilities. The team consists of psychologists, community nurses, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and psychiatrists.
In the final year of school, if a young person is likely to be eligible for support from adult learning disability services, the transition lead at school will discuss this service with parents/carers and the young person and will make contact the adult learning disability transition nurse.
The transition nurse completes an assessment of the young person’s health needs and will make all relevant health referrals into adult services to ensure continuity of care. The transition nurse will discuss future plans to support the young person’s health needs once their education has ended and will help with their transition to adult services where possible.
If the young person has an EHCP the transition nurse can contribute to the health part of the EHCP to ensure that this contains up to date health information.