Support from Health

General Practitioners (GPs) are responsible for managing the health of the local population. Where the apparent needs of the patient require specialist investigation or provision, then a referral is made to acute or mental health specialist services.

Waiting time for any service is dependent first on the apparent clinical need of the patient and second on the level of demand and available staffing resource. For some services, there are ongoing local and national shortages of suitably qualified staff, which affects waiting times.

York Hospital

Most acute or community paediatric services (for example, not mental health) is delivered from York Hospital on Wigginton Road Children's Centre. The York Hospital website outlines the services provided and how to access them.

There are 5 areas of provision, all have their own specific patient groups, referral arrangements and offer to support.

Inpatient: admission, usually to Ward 17 for emergencies or Wards 17 or 18 for planned care
Planned Care: this is a planned admission (elective) such as for an operation or a specific procedure or for an assessment; Ward 18 houses the assessment unit for tests or investigations, and Ward 17 is for planned admissions for example, surgery
Outpatients: outpatients are consultant-run clinics, and unless there is an urgent concern, most children will be referred to paediatrics for consideration of their health needs and decisions taken how best to meet those needs; referrals will be from a professional usually GP but depending on the matter, may also be from a health visitor or a social worker. There is a broad offer of services, including specialist clinics such as epilepsy
Community: the team provides a range of nursing support primarily for children already known to paediatric services, including for the special schools in York, for conditions such as asthma or epilepsy, palliative care and preparation for transition to adult health services at age 16 to 18
Therapies: the therapies team comprises speech and language, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and dietetics; for speech and language therapy service, children or parents may self-refer, but otherwise referral is via the GP or another health professional

Mental Health

Tees Esk and Wear Valleys Trust (TEWV) provides specialised community CAMHS services in York at Orca House between the ages of 5 to 18. Mental health services (assessment, diagnosis and provision of therapeutic support and medication) are for children and young people with moderate to severe mental health disorders such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorders, psychosis or eating disorders. TEWV also provides the autism assessment service in York.

TEWV services may be accessed via self-referral or via GP or other health professional, school or social worker. All referrals are triaged, and a clinical decision made in consultation with patient or family whether to undertake further assessments or discharge. Where further assessments are advised then a decision is taken following that assessment regarding what intervention if any should be provided.

For the very small number of children and young people who are too ill to be treated by the CAMHS community team, an admission to an inpatient unit (usually referred to as Tier 4) may be necessary. A referral for an inpatient admission assessment is via a child psychiatrist in consultation with the patient and family and is subject to clinical review.

Transition reviews are undertaken with young people at age 17 to decide of they should transfer to adult mental health services at age 18, or to their GP.

Also see

Audiology (Hearing and Balance Services) at York Hospital
Eye department - Ophthalmology at York Hospital
Children’s Community Nursing Team at York Hospital
AHP Children's Therapy Team at York Hospital