Community Paediatric Service

Service description

The community paediatric team offers a specialist service to children and young people residing in Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland for various health needs. For example:

• Investigation of children presenting with global developmental delay or significant delay in specific developmental areas
• Medical assessment of moderate/severe learning difficulties.
• Medical input to support assessment of preschool/primary school age children presenting with challenging behaviour, where an underlying neurodevelopmental condition such as autism or ADHD is suspected. Guidance on managing this as appropriate.
• Management of children with certain genetic/medical conditions (e.g. Down’s syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, neurofibromatosis) that need ongoing neurodevelopmental surveillance.
• Management of children with neurodisability (e.g cerebral palsy), complex health needs and certain life limiting conditions.
• Assessment of children with coordination difficulties (e.g developmental coordination disorder/dyspraxia).
• Specialist medical input and management for children with continence issues.
• Specialist medical input for looked after children, children undergoing adoption and fostering.
• Safeguarding medical assessment of children with suspected physical abuse and neglect, following referral from social services.
• Specialist medical advice for children with significant special educational needs (e.g children requiring an Education, Health and Care Plan).

Referral criteria

New referrals will be accepted for children and young people up until 16 years of age. If a young person is at a special school, referrals can be accepted up to the age of 19
years. The service will be provided to children and young people registered with any GP within Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

Children should display one or more of the following symptoms:

• Concerns regarding a child’s development such as developmental delay or disordered development
• Neurological disability e.g. cerebral palsy or other physical disabilities
• Children with co-ordination difficulties
• Behavioural problems in association with disordered development or when there is a suspected underlying neurodevelopmental disorder e.g.
• Autistic Spectrum Disorder (primary school age)
• ADHD (unless mental health disorder or oppositional behaviour in a secondary school age child)
• Genetic disorders needing paediatric medical follow up e.g. Down’s syndrome
• Significant learning difficulties/disabilities (NB children with isolated mild learning difficulties will not be assessed)
• Constipation or enuresis where one or more of the above conditions is present
• Symptom management in children with life-limiting conditions
• General medical paediatric conditions after referral by GP

Community paediatricians will accept referrals for those with emotional or behavioural issues that also have physical symptoms that require a paediatric assessment or where a neurodevelopmental condition i.e. ADHD/ASD is suspected.

Conditions NOT covered by the service are:

• Assessment for dyslexia (or other specific learning difficulties)
• Assessment of significant emotional and behavioural difficulties in school age children, unless as part of a formal assessment of special educational needs
• Isolated speech and language difficulties e.g. stutter
• Obesity