On hospital discharge, a referral to the child development team (CDT) will be made by the discharging team (in-take form in Appendix 1). For older children who have moved into the area, the same referral form should be used with as much retrospective information as possible.

All cases discussed in the following Tuesday’s multi-agency intake meeting where a plan will be made for who within the team will see the family and when.

For urgent medical concerns Telephone 020 7794 0500 ext 26457 to discuss with one of the Paediatricians (for professionals only).

EVERY new baby will be referred to and seen by:

• Community paediatrician (for families who have a Barnet GP). First appointment by 3 months of age. Appointments are usually held at Edgware Community Hospital (EGH), Burnt Oak Broadway, Edgware HA8 OAD in children’s outpatients or occasionally in an alternative centre, like Underhill children’s centre.

  • Under 5’s/preschool – Dr Ella Rachamim

  • Over 5’s/school age – Dr Christine Jenkins

• Community paediatric physiotherapists usually see families at Oak Lane clinic in East Finchley within 3 months from leaving hospital.

• Early Years SEND Advisory Team contacts the family within three weeks during term-time and arranges a visit within 1-2 weeks.  There may be a delay in school holidays but there will always be a point of contact given to families.  Early Years SEND Advisory Team can be contacted by the hospital team when a baby is born if they identify that very early support would be beneficial.  This is only for families who live in the Borough of Barnet, otherwise a referral to Early Years SEND Advisory Team will need to be made to that borough. There is a Parents’ What’s App group for families in Barnet that have a child with Down Syndrome that families can be added to if they wish.  See further information below.

• Paediatric dysphagia team (part of the Speech and language therapy (SALT) service) - all children with DS will receive a feeding assessment by a specialist SALT early on, in community setting or in hospital if concerns arise prior to discharge.  Sometimes a referral to a tertiary centre for this assessment may also be recommended.  We know these babies can have significant feeding difficulties, with risks of aspiration which can go undetected, so this needs to be evaluated at every point of contact with families. (See Appendix 3 - Red Flags for feeding)

• In Barnet, there are also community neonatal nurses who see all babies with DS within a few days of discharge and as frequently as required, with regular weights etc. They are based in the neonatal unit and will liaise with the neonatal consultants to troubleshoot any issues.

SOME BABIES WILL ALSO be referred to and see:

• Paediatric dietician - Children at risk of aspiration or who are unable to meet their nutritional requirements orally may need a period of enteral tube feeding which will be managed by the community home enteral tube feeding dietitian.  Any health professional can refer but referrals usually come from discharging hospital dietitian or nurse. Referrals to Specialist Paediatric Dietitian, Home Enteral Tube Feeding team (Appendix 6).

• Homecare nurses (paediatric) – a referral form for homecare will also be done by the hospital if the baby is going home with an NGT or on oxygen and needs ongoing support at home to manage these, working closely with the paediatrician.

Health Visitors

Every child has a community health visitor.   Health visiting teams work with mothers and fathers, their families, and community groups to promote the health and wellbeing of children and reduce inequalities from the antenatal period until your child starts school. 

Health visitors are nurses or midwives who have undertaken additional training in community public health nursing. They help parents learn and develop the skills required to bring up their children.  Health visitors deliver the Healthy Child Programme, supporting families to give their children the best possible start in life and reach their full potential.   As part of this universal offer, health visitors carry out mandated health and child development reviews at key stages:

• Antenatal,

• new birth (9 - 14 days)

• 6 – 8 weeks

• 9 – 12m and

• 2 – 2 ½ years.

These mostly take place in children’s centres around the borough.  Healthy Child Programme: Pregnancy and the first five years of life

Health visiting in Barnet: www.solutions4health.co.uk 

Referral information: Barnet 0-19 Single Point of Access (SPA)

0-19 Admin Hub Team Lead

Healthy Child Programme 4 Barnet

|T. 020 3633 4049 | 0800 772 3110

|E. hcp.4barnet@nhs.net

www.solutions4health.co.uk    

For safeguarding concerns:

Named Nurse Safeguarding Children

0-19 Healthy Child Program Barnet

|T. |M. 07483 068 088 | A. 3 Winston Hse, Dollis Park , London , N3 1HF

|E. orchid.ferguson@solutions4health.co.uk|NHS E.o.ferguson1@nhs.net 

Breastfeeding support service (also accessed via health visiting)

Infant feeding support is offered by all members of the health visiting team at the new birth visit and any follow up contacts at home or in the child health clinic.  There is also a Breastfeeding Support Service which provides mothers with information on breastfeeding, delivered by qualified breastfeeding support workers.  Health visitors do support parents who are formula feeding their babies by providing information on choosing milks and making up feeds, and helping them to feed safely and responsively.

• Phone: 07815 717055

• Email: CLCHT.Breastfeedingsupport@nhs.net

• Opening hours: 9am to 5pm

Facebook: Breastfeeding support in Barnet

https://clch.nhs.uk/services/new-baby-and-parent-resources/infant-feeding-services/breast-feeding-barnet