Some children and young people have very complex health needs. We use the term ‘children and young people’ to mean anyone from birth to their 18th birthday. These complex needs may be the result of:
- congenital conditions (of a condition present from birth)
- long-term or life-limiting conditions
- disability
- serious illness or injury.
Some children and young people have very complex health needs. These needs may be too complex to be met by the services usually provided by GP practices, hospitals, or community services.
In these cases, extra health support may be needed. This extra support is called continuing care.
Continuing care for children with a Suffolk or Norfolk GP is managed by our Children and Young People’s Continuing Care Team. Information regarding how to access a continuing care package is described below.
Looked after children (LAC) – a legal term for any child who comes into the care of Children’s Services at their local authority – who are the responsibility of Norfolk or Suffolk Local Authority also remain our responsibility.
For information about continuing healthcare for adults, please visit our continuing healthcare page.
Learn more about children and young people’s continuing care
Visit the Gov.uk website to learn more about:
- Children and young people’s continuing care: guide for young people and parents
- Children and Young Peoples Continuing Care National Framework
How can I access children and young people’s continuing care?
A referral can be made by any health or social care professional who feels a continuing care package may be required, with the consent of the family or young person.
When a baby, child or young person is referred for an assessment, continuing care nurse assessors will first check whether a full assessment is needed. If it is, the nurse assessors will collect information about the child’s needs, including the advice of health and care professionals.
The Children and Young People’s Continuing Care National Framework provides guidance and a set of categories of needs (called ‘domains’) to support decisions on whether a child has a continuing care need.
An important part of the assessment is to make sure the child or young person and their family share their views and their wishes are considered.
The assessment will look at the care the child is currently receiving. However, the decision about whether a child or young person needs continuing care is based on the type and level of their needs. It is not based on the services already in place or on having a specific medical condition.
What happens after an assessment?
The continuing care nurse assessors will share their findings with a panel of experts. The panel will look at the evidence and the nurse’s recommendation and decide whether the child or young person needs continuing care.
A decision is usually made 6-8 weeks from referral.
Depending on the decision, a package of care is then agreed. Some support may come from services the child already uses. Other support may need to be arranged specially.
We will review the care package regularly. This helps make sure the support continues to meet the child or young person’s changing needs as they grow.
A child or young person’s eligibility for continuing care can change if their needs change.
What if I am not happy with decisions made?
If you are not happy with the decision made regarding eligibility or the package of care offered, you can make a complaint.
What is a Personal Health Budget?
If a child or young person is eligible for continuing care, they will be offered a Personal Health Budget (PHB). This gives families more choice and control over how the funding is used to meet care needs.
You can find more details about Personal Health Budgets on the NHS England website.
Our continuing care policies
- Children and Young People’s Continuing Care Policy. This policy is being reviewed and will be uploaded as soon as possible.
- Policy for Personal Health Budgets. This policy is being reviewed and will be uploaded as soon as possible.
- Policy for Integrated Personal Budgets. This policy is being reviewed and will be uploaded as soon as possible.