Children’s Continuing Care Team (Complex Care)
The Whittington Health NHS Trust’s Children’s Continuing Care team carry out a nurse assessment service and coordinate and monitor bespoke packages of care for children and young people with complex and continuing care need. The Continuing Care Team operates across North Central London for children and young people in Camden, Haringey, and Islington.
About the service
Continuing Care has been defined within the National Framework as a package of care for a child or young person with continuing care needs that have arisen from disability or an accident or illness and these needs cannot be met by existing universal or specialist services alone. The child or young person may suffer from life threatening or limiting conditions (complex needs because of congenital conditions, long-term or life-limiting or life-threatening conditions, disability, or the aftereffects of serious illness or injury).
Each child or young person referred to our service is triaged individually to identify any health needs. A full assessment is completed by a continuing care nurse assessor. In a case where the pre-assessment checklist meets the criteria for our service, the recommendations are made at an Integrated Additional Needs Panel which has representations from health, education and social care.
Care Packages
The team offer bespoke care packages that provide nursing care for the child or young person in the home. This care is delivered by a combination of health care support works and registered nurses. Continuing Care packages can solely be funded by the NHS or jointly with social care.
When a care package is put in place for a child or young person, it is still the parents/guardians that have primary responsible for the care of their child, with statutory agencies assisting to achieve the identified outcomes.
Medical Equipment and Supplies
The Continuing Care team supply medical equipment and supplies required for the delivery of the child or young persons package of care. Medical equipment and supplies are given via pre-arranged two weekly courier service to the child or young persons residence, and equipment is available for collection from the Continuing Team office at the Northern Health Centre. The nature of equipment supplied will be dependant on the specific details reported in the Continuing Care nursing needs assessment. Some medical supplies are accessed via other health care services such as General Practitioners (GP). This can be discussed with the Continuing Care Team staff.Last updated09 Jul 2021