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Health - Local Offer

Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT)

Specialist support for health services can be accessed through NHFT's 0-19 Children's Services.

The team accepts referral from healthcare specialists (such as GPs). It also takes referrals from other professionals who work with children or young people.

The Children and Young People's Referral Management Centre (RMC)

The RMC is a single point of access for professionals. It allows them to refer children and young people to specialist community health services. The RMC helps referrers ensure children and young people see the right person, with the right skills, at the right time.

The RMC accepts referrals from any professional working with a child or young person. It uses one generic referral form which enables professionals to refer to any service in the same way and by the same route.

To refer a child, professionals should complete the NHS Children and Young People's RMC referral form.

The RMC facilitates referrals to NHFT's Specialist Children's Services.

These include:

  • The Children and Young People's ADHD and ASD Service
  • Children’s Community Nursing
  • The Children's Community Team for People With a Learning Disability (CTPLD)
  • The Children’s Continence Service
  • Children’s Dietetics
  • Children and Young People's Mental Health Services (CYPMHS), also known as CAMHS
  • Looked After Children (mental health only, not for medicals or health assessments)
  • Children’s Occupational Therapy
  • Children’s Speech and Language Therapy
  • The Children and Young People’s Eating Disorder Service
  • The Complex Feeding Difficulties Service (CFDS)

The RMC facilitates referrals to Children's Community Services at Northampton General Hospital.

These include:

  • Community Paediatrics and the Child Development Centre (which undertakes autism and ADHD assessments for younger children)
  • Children's Community Nursing
  • Children's Physiotherapy
  • The Child and Adolescent Bereavement Service (CABS)

The RMC facilitates referrals to Northamptonshire's third-sector youth counselling services.

These are known as the REACH Collaborative:

  • Service Six (Wellingborough)
  • Time2Talk (Daventry and South Northants)
  • The Lowdown (Northampton)
  • CHAT (Oundle)
  • Youth Works (Kettering)

Specialist Dental Service - NHFT

NHFT's countywide Specialist Dental Service is made up of experts in special care dentistry.

The service treats patients who cannot access the general dentist due to special needs, learning disabilities, significant health problems, or other issues. It does not provide specialist or advanced restorative care (such as crown treatments).

Special School Nursing Team - NHFT

NHFT's Special School Nursing Team is a mix of senior special school nurses, special school nurses and healthcare support workers. Together they provide care in special education settings across Northamptonshire.

The team:

  • offers help and support for children and families, covering areas such as personal hygiene and healthy eating
  • trains school staff so they can care for pupils attending their school

Adults' Community Teams for People with Learning Disabilities (CTPLD) - NHFT

NHFT hosts 2 teams that care for people with learning disabilities aged 14 and over.

The Community Team for People with Learning Disabilities (CTPLD) provides specialist healthcare. Their patients have a learning disability (IQs below 70) and health needs that requires input.

The team supports people to lead happier, healthier, and more fulfilling lives. It's made up of skilled multi-disciplinary practitioners, clinicians and nurses.

The Intensive Support Team (IST) assesses and treats people with learning disabilities experiencing mental ill health or behaviour that challenges. The team is a mix of nurses, a psychologist, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists. They are supported by a duty clinician who responds to urgent and deteriorating needs.

NHFT's CTPLD also has a respite ward for short stays.

Keyworking Service - for learning disabilities and autism

The Keyworking Service is part of a national initiative by NHS England. In Northamptonshire, the service is delivered by 2 charities working together.

Barnardo's delivers the keyworker element with 4 full-time keyworkers.

En-Fold delivers the peer support element with 2 part-time peer support workers.

The Keyworking Service is for children and young people with learning disabilities and/or autism. It aims to prevent admissions of learning disabled or autistic children and young people to mental health or specialist hospitals. It does this by coordinating and ensuring effective care and support in the community wherever possible.  Referrals are made by professionals working with families.

NHS 111

111 is the NHS non-emergency number. It is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.

Call 111 if:

  • it's not an emergency
  • you don't know who to call, or you don't have a GP to call
  • you need health information or reassurance about what to do next

Other useful healthcare information

Healthwatch Northamptonshire (HWN) is an independent consumer champion for health and social care. They provide information and advice about health and social care services.

Healthwatch helps people to have a say in the quality of local health services. It reports findings to health and social care decision-makers to improve the quality of local healthcare.

Northamptonshire Transforming Care Partnership (TCP) and Care & Treatment Reviews (CTRs) is part of a national plan to improve local health and care services for people with a learning disability, a mental health condition, and/or autism (who display behaviour that challenges).

TCPs aim to ensure people can be supported in their community instead of going to a hospital. People should not be forced to use inpatient services because community services are lacking.

The Easy Health website has gathered a collection of easy-read leaflets and videos on various health and social care issues.

Easy Health's materials are designed for people with learning disabilities. They explain important things that might have a big impact on people's lives.

“What? Why? Children In Hospital” (WWCIH) aims to prepare children and their families for a positive hospital experience. The website has leaflets, videos, and colouring pages.

Rare Disease UK (RDUK) is a national campaign for people with rare diseases and all who support them. It provides a united voice for the rare disease community by capturing the experiences of patients and families.

Syndromes Without a Name (SWAN) is a support network for families of children and young people with undiagnosed genetic conditions. It is part of the charity Genetic Alliance UK.

ERIC - The Children's Bowel and Bladder Charity is dedicated to the bowel and bladder health of children and young people. It aims to reduce the impact of continence problems on children and their families.

Search the Local Offer directory.

This content has been produced in partnership with health commissioners.

Last updated 21 August 2023