Health Services

Do you have a question about SEND?

We recognise that this will be a worrying time for families of young people with additional needs and are committed to helping you with any questions or enquiries you might have about SEND.
As most Council employees are now working from home in line with Government advice, please contact us using the 'Get in touch' form on the homepage. Also, you can call the general SEND Advice Line on 01744 67 10 54
This will make sure that your enquiry is passed to the right person and you receive an appropriate response as quickly as possible.

You can also access information via SEND - Local Offer Facebook Group

 

Updated 05/08/2021

NHS - 16 - 25 year olds survey 

NHS St Helens Clinical Commissioning Group are undertaking a survey to identify how local young adults and adolescents access and receive generic health services. This includes understanding your experience of using these services and if services met your specific needs as a young adult.

Please could you take share the below link with any 16-25 year olds you work with and ask them to take some time to complete the survey questions.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/LPMHDNB 

All information captured is confidential and will only be used to help the local NHS understand experiences of young adults accessing health services in St Helens. The results of the survey and any resulting recommendations and actions will be published on NHS St Helens CCG website.

If you need the survey in other formats please do not hesitate to contact Communications.ccg@sthelensccg.nhs.uk

Could you please complete the survey by Sunday 31 October 2021

Clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) children are removed from the shielding list read more here

*Update - COVID-19 vaccines for young adults and Children

Further to changes to Government guidance some children and young adults will be eligible to receive a covid vaccine. 

Please do not contact your GP surgery but wait to be invited as per the process described below. 

Young adults aged 16-17 years of age will receive their invitation to be vaccinated automatically as adults have. 

For children aged 12 to 15 years of age, only a specific cohort of children with underlying health conditions will be eligible as follows:

• Severe neuro-disabilities

• Down’s syndrome

• Underlying conditions resulting in immunosuppression

• Profound and multiple learning disabilities

• Severe learning disabilities or who are on the learning disability register

In addition children aged 12 years and over who are household contacts of persons (adults or children) who are immunosuppressed will also be eligible. 

NHS St Helens CCG is curently working with GP practices to identify eligible children and this cohort will be offered the vaccine by appointment only. We expect the vaccination programme to be rolled out to be by 23rd August 2021, so your GP practice will contact you by that week. Please do not be concerned if you are on holiday as there will be further opportunities for vaccinations. We will be providing updates on the roll out of this as it progresses 

If you would like to find out more about the vaccine then please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-of-children-and-young-people-aged-12-to-17-years-jcvi-statement/jvci-statement-on-covid-19-vaccination-of-children-and-young-people-aged-12-to-17-years-15-july-2021 

Download an easy read leaflet to help children prepare for the vaccine here *

 

Commissioners are working with local providers to continue the delivery of services, taking all guidelines and local needs into consideration.

As you may appreciate, this means that there are potentially changes on a regular basis and so we would suggest that for the most up to date information on the individual service offers and how to access services then to refer to the following websites.

https://www.nwbh.nhs.uk/st-helens-child-health-services

http://www.sthk.nhs.uk/

https://www.sthelensccg.nhs.uk/local-services/

Commissioners are working alongside clinician’s and service manages from Community Paediatrics and Child and Adolescent Mental Health services to develop an offer which includes:

  1. Assessment by single service and onward referral defined through discussion with other agency to agree the most appropriate service to meet the needs of the child rather than referring on and the referral being rejected.
  2. MDT/Supervision/Dialogue model – services bring complex cases for discussion to agree a joint care plan (patients/families not present).
  3. Joint clinics  - single assessment to review the needs of the child with child (patients/families present). 

We are working to scope this model and then we will pilot this so that we can continually review and redefine the cohort of children for whom this is more appropriate, to help us to develop the best model which works for families and clinicians.

We hope that this will result in a more streamlined process for families and clinicians and should ultimately reduce the number of referrals bounced around the system, improve integrated/joint working and improve the patient/family journey and experience.

If the child has been referred to Community Paediatrics for an ADHD assessment then parents/carers will be asked to come and see the clinician. Before the appointment parents/carers will be asked to complete SNAPS questionnaires (to gather information about the child) along with representatives from the child’s education establishment who will also complete the SNAPS.  Once these forms are received, the child will be asked to come for a QB test which is an objective electronic test for children with suspected ADHD for children over 6 years.

Parents/carers will have previously been given information to help them to prepare their child to do the QB test. At the appointment, the child will complete a ‘practice’ QB task so they understand what they will have to do and they have time to ask questions.  The task itself is not designed to be stressful and the appointment time is long enough to complete the QB test.  Feedback is gathered before and after the task from the child and parent/carers.

We recognise that the QB is a real challenge for a lot of the children, however it is evidence based and very reliable.  In the past children spent a lot of time being assessed through multiple assessments as the information gathered from observing the child was sometimes not clear. This test makes things quite clear, and shortens the child’s journey of diagnosis.

Some feedback from children and parents/carers has been as follows:

  • Clear explanation to XXXXX about the test. Made XXXXXX feel very comfortable. Thank you. 
  • My son was a little anxious about the QB test but he was put at ease straight away by XXXX. No waiting around, we was in on our appointment time which helped to keep XXXXXX calm. 
  • The Nurse was very clear to me and my daughter what was expected of us today. Very calming for XXXXX to carry out her tests.
  • Made me and XXXXX feel comfortable and relaxed.

 

The attached paper from a pilot study using QB Testing in the East Midlands explains more about the benefits of using this test to aid ADHD diagnosis. Click image or download here

Image of a child drawing on a blackboard and the text ADHD Care in the East Midlands. Image is a download link to the document

Following the approval of the proposed SEND playscheme providers by the Director of Children's services back in early June 2021, St Helens Youth Service and Vibe UK delivered this Summer's SEND playscheme. The feedback evaluations undertaken by both providers on how this year's summer playscheme has been carried out will be analysed for future short breaks schemes and shared with the short breaks task and finish group, which includes parent/ carer representatives.

 

Click for more details on the Training Offer for St Helens Paediatric Speech and Language Therapy Service

Contact details to book a place: 

Email - mcn.tr.sthelens-slt@nhs.net 

Please indicate which sessions you wish to book and provide your name, role (professionals) and email address.

Please book at least two working days prior to the session date.

Please complete the survey link you are sent in order to receive a certificate of attendance.

There is no fee for attending the training sessions online.

From Wednesday 1st September 2021, the Healthy Child Programme in St Helens, which includes school nursing, will be provided by Wirral Community Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust.  

The Trust currently delivers the Healthy Child Programme in Wirral and Cheshire East, providing care and support for over 154,000 children, young people and their families. From birth to adulthood, the teams give young families the best possible start in life and have a huge impact on the long-term health of local young people and children.  

Although there will be no changes to the school nursing provisions delivered across St Helens, the team is looking forward to launching ChatHealth - a confidential NHS approved, text messaging service for young people aged 11-19. Delivered by school nurses, young people in St Helens will be able to access a range of advice and support. 

The team will continue to send regular updates about the service and will be attending both primary and secondary school cluster meetings, but in the meantime if you would like additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Toni Shepherd, Service Director, Integrated Children’s Division: toni.shepherd@nhs.net. You can also visit the Trust’s dedicated children and young people’s website.

The Thoughtscape collaboration has been live since May 2021 and the first quarter of operating for the MHSTs and resilience teams has been highly successful with over 250 CYP supported and extensive engagement across health and social care. The Thoughtscape collaborative is working effectively and feedback from professions inside and outside the group has been positive as well as overwhelming positive feedback from service users.

One great outcome of the collaboration has been the development of 'Thoughtscape Champions' within schools which will be delivered through a phased roll-out from September 2021.  These young people will be local spokespeople and champion the Thoughtscape and wellbeing offer within their secondary school forms.

Related Pages...

Related Documents...

SEND Flag

The purpose of the Local Offer is to enable parents and young people to see more clearly what services are available for children with special educational needs and disabilities in their area, and how to access them.

Get in Touch...

"I like the pictures and I like the interesting information it has on the website" - Pupil from Allanson Street Primary School

boy in a wheel chair