Children’s Continuing Care Nursing team

Our service provides respite packages of care to children with complex, severe or life limiting health needs in the family home.  Each package of care is individually commissioned and tailored to the needs of the child and their family.

We understand that caring for a child with complex health needs can be overwhelming. Our team of nurses have specialist skills and experience in supporting children with highly complex needs, and we work closely with families to plan, deliver and review care safely. We ensure that care is coordinated, reviewed regularly, and adapted as a child’s needs change.

Who’s it for?

The continuing care service in Leeds supports children and young people aged 0 to 18 years who have very complex health needs.  The child or young person needs to be registered with a Leeds GP.

This includes children and young people who require ongoing nursing care, close supervision or specialist support, and whose needs cannot be met by usual health or specialist services alone.

Children who receive continuing care often need a high level of coordinated nursing support to help keep them safe, well and supported at home and in their community.

What we offer

For children and young people receiving continuing care and respite support, the number of hours of care is agreed by the Continuing Care Commissioning team, based on a detailed nursing assessment of need.

The Continuing Care Nursing team works closely with families, carers and professionals to help inform these decisions and to ensure care is delivered safely and appropriately. Care arrangements are reviewed regularly so that support can be adjusted if a child or young person’s needs change.   Children and young people under our care receive regular nurse assessments or reviews when individual health care plans are updated.

Our team provides a combination of specialist nursing care including:

• Delivering complex nursing care such as administration of medication, enteral feeding and support with ventilation or other specialist medical equipment.
• Monitoring a child’s health and responding to changes in their condition.
• Supporting safety, comfort and wellbeing during each shift.
• Providing reassurance and practical support to families.
• Supporting children to take part in play, activities and daily routines, helping create positive experiences.
• Working flexibly with families to maintain consistency and continuity of care.

The service works in partnership with children, young people and their families to ensure care is child‑centred, co‑ordinated and clearly communicated, with families involved in decision‑making throughout the child or young person’s care journey.

Referral information

Referrals to children and young people’s continuing care are made by health or social care professionals when a child or young person has health needs that cannot be met by usual services alone.

• Referrals are made to the Continuing Care commissioning team, not directly to the Continuing Care nursing service
• Consent from the child or young person (where appropriate) or parent/carer is required
• Referrals are based on a holistic assessment of nursing needs which includes supporting information from the professionals involved

Families cannot self‑refer. Parents and carers who have questions about continuing care should speak with their child’s health or social care professional