If you have immediate concerns about the safety of a child you should get in contact straight away, using the numbers below:
020 7641 4000 (9am to 5pm weekdays) Access to Children's Services Team
or
020 7641 2388 (outside of these times) - Emergency Duty Team
Children's Continuing Care
Last Updated 18/09/2019
Continuing Care is a way of funding health care packages for babies, children and young people (from birth to 18 years old) with complex healthcare needs whose needs cannot be met by existing mainstream or specialist health services. These complex needs may be as a result of disability, accident or illness.
Children and Young People are assessed using the National Framework for Children and Young People’s Continuing Care (DOH 2016). This framework is designed to support Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in determining if a child’s needs are such that they can only be met through a package of continuing care.
The framework also sets out an equitable, transparent and timely process for assessing, deciding and agreeing these bespoke packages of care.
Each care package will be commissioned to meet the individual needs of each child/young person and their family and can involve health education and social care.
Healthcare professionals wishing to refer a child or young person for continuing care assessment can contact the Children’s Community Nurses on 020 7266 8840, or email at CLCHT.CCNTeam@nhs.net for the referral form.
Other notes
How does the service change between Children’s Services and Adult Services?
Our services cover up to 18 years old. Adults will need to have their needs assessed using the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care to see if they are eligible. A summary of the Transition process is below:
At 14 years of age, the young person should be brought to the attention of adult continuing care services.
At 16 years of age, screening for NHS continuing healthcare should be undertaken using the adult screening tool.
At 17 years of age, an agreement in principle for adult NHS continuing healthcare should have been made.
At 18 years of age, full transition to adult NHS continuing healthcare or to universal and specialist services should have been made.
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