Introduction
Community nurses support children and young people with complex health needs who need nursing care outside hospital.
A doctor, consultant or other healthcare professional must refer you to the service. We cannot accept direct referrals from families.
If your child’s care is provided outside Somerset, we may ask for a referral to a local paediatrician before a nurse is allocated.
Once we accept the referral, a nurse will contact you to arrange a visit.
We support children and young people with a wide range of complex health conditions. We can:
- provide nursing care at home
- give advice and training to families and carers
- monitor health needs outside hospital
- arrange equipment for use at home
- help reduce avoidable hospital visits.
The support we give depends on your child’s needs. Your nurse will work with you to agree the right level of support.
What to expect
You can expect us to:
- work with you at home, in school and in other settings
- help you and your child understand and manage their health needs
- support you to reduce avoidable hospital visits where possible
- work closely with other professionals so you do not have to repeat your story
If you think your child may need this service, speak to the healthcare professional involved in their care. We can talk to families about the service, but a health professional must make the referral.
Some children receive support from a regional specialist nurse if they have a rare or complex condition. We work closely with local children’s doctors and other health professionals to make sure your child receives safe and joined-up care.
Preparing for adult services
As your child gets older, we will help them prepare for adult health services.
Planning for this move can start from age 14. We will work with your child, your family and other professionals to help them understand their health needs and build confidence.
We will work with adult services to help make the move as smooth as possible.
You can find more information on Somerset NHS Foundation Trust’sMoving on from children’s health care – transition webpages. They include advice, planning tools and information about moving to adult services for particular conditions.