General Practitioners
General Practitioners (GPs) treat patients with a variety of common medical conditions and refer patients to hospitals and other medical services for urgent and specialist treatment. They focus on the health of the whole person combining physical, psychological and social aspects of care.
Community Paediatrician
Community paediatricians are specially trained doctors for children and young people aged 0 to 19 years old.
Community paediatricians perform one-to-one assessments in clinics. This may involve taking the patient’s history, carrying out a clinical examination and further investigations if needed. They will also organise ongoing monitoring and future therapy as well as referral to more specialist services if necessary and appropriate. Community paediatricians also run clinics for children with special problems such as feeding or language and special clinics for young children or teenagers with development problems or a disability.
Your child can be referred to the community paediatricians by their GP, a nurse (including health visitors and school nurses) or another health professional.
Moving from children’s to adult health services
This should be discussed at the Preparing for Adulthood Review (Year 9), or with your child’s paediatrician or other health professionals involved.
Ensure you and your GP receive details of the arrangements for any ongoing care and the names and contact details of those professionals, and when the transfer will happen.