Community Children's Nurses

The service work together with a range of professionals including: GPs, paediatricians, hospitals, health visitors, school nurses, social workers and voluntary agencies to enable children to be cared for at home. It can help children and their families manage:

• Life limiting or life threatening conditions

• Oxygen dependent babies

• Special or complex needs

• Chronic illness

• Childhood cancers

• Nasogastric tube feeding

• Gastrostomies

• End-of-life and palliative care

• Bereavement support 

How does the team work?
The team visit children with a specialised nursing need, registered with a Birmingham GP, aged 0 – 18 years in their homes or other community setting.

Every effort will be made to book visits in advance at a time convenient to all parties.  Occasionally delays occur and if the delay is expected to be over 30 minutes families are notified.

The team aims to:

• Holistically assess the needs of children and families and, together with parents, produce a joint plan of care.
• Reduce or prevent hospital attendances or admissions by providing a skilled paediatric nursing service.
• Enable and empower parents to look after their child in the most suitable environment with our support.
• Act as family advocates and network on behalf of children and families.
• Provide planned opportunistic health promotion.

When do the team work?
The service is available Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and also provides 24-hour cover by arrangement for children requiring end-of-life care at home.

Who can refer to the team?
Anyone can make a referral.  When a referral is accepted the service will inform the child’s consultant paediatrician. Some children may have needs that the service cannot meet, in which case they will be referred to the most appropriate service. The team take part in the education of student nurses and doctors and occasionally they may be present during visits.