Website of the Department of Health

• Document type:
  Report
• Author:
  Department of Health
• Published date:
  6 February 2007
• Primary audience:
  Chief executives, Directors, Finance, Allied health professionals, Emergency care, Chairs
• Product number:
  279719
• Gateway reference:
  7795
• Pages:
  11
• Copyright holder:
  Crown

Children, young people and their parents need to be fully engaged in making informed choices about their care and in planning of services. Those with long term conditions in particular benefit from having their hospitalisations minimised where possible and their support in the home or community enhanced by the reorganisation of service delivery.

Advances in treatments for seriously ill children have benefited from centralisation of specialist expertise such as paediatric intensive care to ensure care is received in the  most appropriate place. As recent medical advances have improved the life expectency of children with complex, long term conditions services need to adapt to ensure the transition of the young person to adult services is supported, planned and coordinated.

Services cannot be seen in isolation. The whole patient pathway needs to be considered - in particular in conjunction with maternity and wider children's services.