Paediatric Cystic Fibrosis Service - NGH

The CF Service looks after children aged 0-18 years with cystic fibrosis (CF) in the community. 

The service works very closely with the CF Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT), which includes a paediatric consultant, a physiotherapist, a dietician, and a psychologist. It also works with the Oxford Children's Cystic Fibrosis Network (OCCFN).

The CF service includes:

• Visiting children at home to assess their clinical conditions.
• Performing clinical procedures for children in their own homes (such as inserting continuous glucose monitoring sensors).
• Initiating new drug therapies at home (such as Pulmozyme / hypertonic saline).
• Providing advice and support by phone, text, email, or face-to-face.
• Supporting children and families when having intravenous (IV) antibiotics at home.
• Providing care for the children who have a portacath, which is a central venous access device (CVAD).
• Assessing children when they have a wet cough. This involves obtaining a cough swab/sputum. Treatment can be oral, nebulised, or IV antibiotics, or a combination of these.
• Starting children with CF on anti-pseudomonas treatment as soon as possible after it has been isolated on a cough swab/sputum.
• Monitoring lung function when children have a cough (to assess the success of any treatment undertaken).
• End-of-life care if necessary.
• Teaching all involved about all aspects of the daily care children with CF need to keep them as healthy as possible (this includes schools, nurseries, and after-school clubs).
• Providing specialist nursing expertise to all involved in the care of children with CF (this may take place in a community setting or in a hospital).