Specialised children's services
Specialised children’s services are those healthcare services needed for children and young people with complex or rare conditions.
A guide for commissioners (London’s specialised children’s services) has been produced which sets out a new way forward to deliver the best possible services and care. In the guidance, compelling reasons around unplanned and uncoordinated services that underlie the need for change are identified.
The following recommendations in the model of care aim to address the issues in the case for change:
- Fewer hospitals should provide a more comprehensive range of in-house specialised children’s services and cover defined geographical areas
- Establish two tertiary paediatric networks that coordinate specialised services in a defined area through the provision of clear pathways based on clinical standards and interdependencies
- Ensure hospitals delivering specialised children’s services meet all interdependencies as described in the Department of Health service interdependency matrix
- End the provision of severely isolated services and clinically defined inappropriate low volumes of activity
