Community Paediatric Medical Service (CPMS)

CPMS supports children and young people with neurodevelopmental disorders (conditions affecting a child’s development); provides services for Children in Care including foster care and adoption support and has a dedicated team for child protection.

Our service at a glance:

  • Services for children and young people with neurodevelopmental difficulties or neurodisability.
  • Services for children requiring medical advice and support as part of a wider safeguarding need, for example, child protection medicals and Children in Care health reviews and adoption process support.

  • General Paediatric outpatient clinics.

Contents
  1. Who are we?
  2. How do we work?
  3. What geographical areas do we cover?
  4. Referrals

  5. Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)

  6. Where will my child be seen?

  7. What will happen at the appointment?

  8. How will my child be assessed?

  9. What happens after the assessment?

 
1. Who are we?

Community Paediatricians

A Community Paediatrician is a Doctor who helps vulnerable children and young people, along with their caregivers. This includes children with developmental challenges or disabilities, those in the foster care system and those at risk of abuse.2

Community Paediatricians work closely with other professionals such as therapists, health visitors, school nurses and community nurses, as well as with schools and social services.

 

Neurodevelopmental Team

Our Doctors and specially trained nurses work with children to assess their development and health. If there are any concerns about possible developmental disorders or conditions that we know require regular monitoring, we are here to help.

We work closely with community therapists and have good links with Hospital specialists and Education.

 

1Children Looked After Team:

We are a team of doctors and nurses who provide care for children and young people in foster care across Portsmouth and Southampton. Our team also includes a doctor who serves as our Adoption Medical Advisor.

We undertake initial health assessments for children and young people who are new into the care , as requested by Social Care. We also review health assessments for those who have been in care longer. During these assessments, our doctors or nurses will check the child’s or young person's physical and emotional health, dental health, growth, and overall development.

In collaboration with children, young people, and their caregivers, we create a personalised health care plan to support their health and development while they are in care. This plan includes recommendations for their future well-being. If a child or young person needs both our Children Looked After and Neurodevelopmental services, we will work to combine these appointments for convenience.

Our Children Looked After Service is available for any child or young person living in Southampton or Portsmouth who needs a health assessment while in care.

 

2Child Protection Team

We also provide specialist medical assessments for children and young people referred with suspected abuse.

 

 
2. How do we work?

We will carry out a specialist assessment to understand what your child or young persons’  strengths and difficulties are, and if further support is needed. This helps us to provide the best quality care and most appropriate support for you and your child or young person.

We always work in partnership with you to ensure you and your child or young person are at the heart of everything we do. We also work closely with other professionals, such as Health Visitors, School Nurses, Therapists and other wider multidisciplinary teams.

To cancel or rearrange an appointment, please call us (refer to the Contact Us section). Our admin team are in the office Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm to take your calls. 

Please remember we are not an urgent service, if your child is unwell please seek appropriate advice and support from your GP, dialling 111 or attending the Emergency Department as appropriate.

 

 
3. What areas do we cover?

We support children and young people who are registered with a GP in South East and South West Hampshire, and Southampton and Portsmouth cities.

 

4. Referrals

We accept referrals from other health professionals, including:

We do not accept self-referral. If you have concerns about your child or young persons’ development, please speak to the health professionals involved in their care, as listed above.

 

Who should be referred

Pre-school (0 - 5 years old)

  • Children with neuro-disabling conditions which are known to need medical follow-up e.g. cerebral palsy.
  • Children with chromosomal and syndrome diagnosis causing developmental delay and are known to need medical follow up such as Down’s Syndrome.
  • Children who are losing skills they previously had (known as developmental regression).
  • Children with significant gross motor delay, eg crawling and walking who are under 6 months old. 
  • Children with significant delay in fine motor skills, eg using hands, who are under 18 months old.
  • Children with concerns about head growth and shape if they also have developmental delay.
  • For Autism referrals - see below.

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School Age (5 - 19 years old)

  • Children and young people with known neuro-disabling conditions who are known to need medical follow-up such as Cerebral Palsy.
  • Children and young people with chromosomal and syndrome diagnosis causing developmental delay and are known to need medical follow up such as Down’s Syndrome who are aged0-19 years.
  • Children and young people who are losing skills they previously had (known as developmental regression), or confirmed loss of developmental skills.
  • Children and young people with a moderate, or severe learning disability or global developmental delay.
  • Co-ordination difficulties.
  • For Autism referrals - see below.

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Co-ordination Difficulties and Autism Referrals
  • Developmental Coordination Disorder/ Dyspraxia

Children with mild to moderate difficulties should receive support in schools or their education setting. Occupational Therapy Services (Ots) provide training to help schools with this. If a child is not making progress with school support, they can be referred directly to Occupational Therapy.  Parents can contact the Children’s Therapies advice line on 0300 300 2019.

You can find guidelines for teachers on what to put in place and when to refer a child here Community Paediatric Medical Service :: Hampshire and Isle of Wight NHS Foundation Trust 

 

  • Social communication difficulties including concerns about Autistic Spectrum Disorder

CPMS provides a diagnostic service for children under the age of 6 years old who have a Portsmouth GP and for those under the age of 5 with a Southampton GP. Children over this age and children with a South East or South West GP, will be seen by the apappropriate autism assessment service for that area.

Generally, we see pre-school children with social communication difficulties along with developmental delay. For example, if a child has significant speech and language difficulties before age 3, they would usually be referred to a speech and language therapist and might have an audiology assessment before further referrals are made.

 

5. Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs)

CPMS health professionals are required to contribute to EHCPs where a child or young person is known to them.

The Local Authority notifies our department of children and young people being assessed for an EHCP.

For children and young people not already known to the service, each request is reviewed. A decision will be made on whether they need to see a Neurodevelopmental Paediatrician, especially if they are under the age of 7 or have significant learning or developmental challenges that haven’t been medically investigated.

If there are likely to be significant learning or developmental difficulties that have not already been medically investigated). If the child or young person is known to other medical health professionals, they will be asked to provide a report instead.

 

6. Where will my child be seen?

We will aim to see you in a clinic most convenient to where you live but in some circumstances we may offer you an appointment further away if it reduces your wait.

Your child or young persons’ first appointment may take place at one of the following places:

  • Battenburg Child Development Centre (BCDC) Portsmouth
  • Oak Park Havant
  • Fareham Child Development Centre
  • Special Schools – Rachel Madocks, Mary Rose, St Francis, Heathfield
  • Child Development Centre (CDC), William Macleod Way, Southampton
  • Royal South Hants Hospital (RSH)
  • Thornhill Centre for Healthy Living
  • Hythe Hospital
  • New Milton
  • Special Schools – Rosewood, Cedar, Springwell, Great Oaks, Forest Park, Hill House, Southlands

 

7. What will happen at the appointment?
  • Your first appointment will usually be 60 minutes long, with follow-up appointments being 45 minutes.
  • We will discuss your concerns and find out more about your child or young person and the difficulties they are having.
  • We will ask for some background information including birth details, health issues, and talk about your child or young persons’ general progress and family history.
  • There will be opportunities for your child or young person to play while you chat to the Doctor. Older children may be involved in discussions if they wish.
  • After discussions, the Paediatrician will need to assess your child or young person in more detail with a physical examination to find out their specific needs and to see if further support is needed.
  • You will have an opportunity to ask questions. You may like to write any questions down so that they can be discussed away from your child. 

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8. How will my child be assessed?

The Paediatrician or Specialist Nurse may use one or more of the following ways to assess your child:

  • Watching your child or young person playing and looking / listening to what they can do.
  • Playing with your child or young person to informally check their skills.
  • Undertake formal assessments or tests which will give more information about their skills.
  • Perform a physical examination.
  • Referral for bloods and investigations at local hospitals.
  • The Paediatrician may also need to talk to your child or young persons’ Nursery/playgroup or school to get more information about their strengths and difficulties.

 

9. What happens after the assessment?
  • We will talk to you about our findings and decide if further support is needed.
  • You will have the opportunity to ask any other questions you may have.
  • All recommendations and findings will be clearly explained to you.
  • At the end of the appointment we will talk to you about what happens next and what the arrangements for this will be.
  • A report will be written and, with your consent, will be shared with other professionals, for example, GP, Health Visitors, Pre-school staff, so that everyone is aware of what the plan of care will be.