Supporting young people in the community as they move to adult healthcare

Many young people and their parents or carers find the transition from paediatric to adult healthcare a stressful and challenging time. For young people with complex health needs and their families, this move can be particularly daunting and overwhelming.

To support families navigating this journey, the community paediatrics team at Evelina London organised a 'Transition Information Event'. The event was held in partnership with a local school in Lambeth, Heron Academy, which provides education to children with severe learning difficulties (SLD) and profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD).

The event brought together a range of organisations including social services, primary care teams, specialist colleges, voluntary organisations, mental health services, and adult therapy teams, from across Lambeth and Southwark. Parents and carers of young people with complex health needs from all 10 special needs schools in the area were invited to learn more about the processes and services involved in their child's transition to adult care.

During the event, each parent or carer worked with a clinician who helped them map out their child's transition journey and identify the services most relevant to their child's needs. They were then able to speak with representatives from these adult services in one-to-one sessions at the same event.

Melanie Hall-Judd, head teacher from Heron Academy, said: "I was delighted to be part of the event, which offered an inclusive platform for parents and carers to navigate the challenges of transition and connect with essential support. The positive feedback from Heron parents highlights the significant difference the event has made for our pupils and their families.

I commend the Evelina London community paediatrics team for their collaboration with Heron, showcasing the importance of education and health sectors working together to support pupils with complex needs.

To assess the event's impact, parents and carers were asked to complete surveys before and after the event. The feedback was positive, with nearly 80% of parents reporting that they now felt confident about their child's upcoming transition to adult services. Before the event, 65% of parents said they weren't aware of local adult services, this dropped to just 7% afterwards.

Dr Hemavathy Palanyiaya, consultant neurodevelopmental paediatrician at Evelina London, reflected: "Genuine collaboration and integration between the health and education sectors are at the heart of making a real difference in the transition journey for young people. There is strong evidence that an effective transitional care programme can significantly improve health outcomes.

"As a team, we feel truly honoured to play a part in this essential work and wholeheartedly encourage such partnerships to ensure the success of future initiatives for children and young people with additional needs."

Read more about the community paediatrics service at Evelina London.