Includes specialist health services your child might need to be referred to. These services can provide more support for children and young people with additional needs or a disability.
Getting Ready for Routine Check-Ups
Things you may need to know to help you, and your child prepare for GP and hospital visits by explaining what to expect and how to make the experience more comfortable.
- Learning Disability Register at GP surgery
You can ask to be added to the learning disability register by contacting your GP to explain how your learning disability affects you and the support you need. This may mean you get the right support when visiting the doctor’s surgery or while making an appointment.
To find out more about the Learning disability register visit: Everything you need to know about the learning disability register | Mencap.
- Annual Health Checks
If your child is aged 14 or over and on the Learning Disability Register, they are entitled to a free yearly health check. We help you understand what’s involved and how to get the most out of it.
- Healthcare passport - All about me for complex health needs
The healthcare passport ‘All About Me’ was published for those who access Children’s Services at Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust to remove their anxiety about meeting healthcare professionals for the first time. The 12-page document enables healthcare professionals seeing a child for the first time to understand their medical needs and how they can be best supported.
To find out more, speak to your health professional at your next appointment.
Specialist 0-19 Service
The 0-19 service includes health professionals that provide specialist support for children and young people with various additional needs or are vulnerable. The service includes:
- SEND Team 0-19 service – Has Specialist Health Visitor, Specialist School Nurses
- Community Paediatrics - Providing medical assessments, diagnosis, and ongoing care for children with developmental or health concerns.
- Partnering Families Team - If you are a young person that is pregnant and have vulnerabilities or suffering with your mental health then you may be referred to the Partnering Families Team who work with first time young mothers. Your midwife may also refer you to the perinatal mental health team but will discuss it with you first.
Contact
Email: rwh-tr.partneringfamiliesteam@nhs.net
- The Health Inclusion Team (HIT) - The Health Inclusion Team (HIT) works with vulnerable families and children aged 0-19 in Wolverhampton who are at risk of being socially excluded and therefore face barriers when accessing health care resulting in poor health outcomes.
- The service is for - Gypsy, Traveller, refugee and migrant families plus those who are living in temporary accommodation or Havens.
Contact
Telephone: 01902 441057
How to give a compliment or compliant about the service
Provide feedback about the service(s) by visiting Patient experience team.
Therapy services
Our therapy teams support children and young people with a range of developmental, physical, and communication needs. Services are available across different age groups and settings:
- Speech and Language Therapy (SLT)
For children and young people aged 0–18 (or up to 19 if in full-time education), this service supports communication, speech, language, and feeding needs.
- Physiotherapy (PT)
Available for children aged 0–16 (or up to 19 with an EHCP), physiotherapists help with movement, posture, and physical development.
- Occupational Therapy (OT)
Supporting children aged 0–18 (or up to 19 with an EHCP), occupational therapists help with everyday skills like dressing, writing, and using equipment to support independence.
These services work closely with families, schools, and other professionals to ensure each child receives the right support.
Virtual Wards
Are Nurse led services with consultant oversight that provide care to those who would otherwise be in hospital.
The service includes:
Wolverhampton Special Care Dental Service
About
The Wolverhampton Special Care Dental Service (WSCDS) provide comprehensive NHS dental care for individuals living in Wolverhampton or who have a Wolverhampton GP, who may have difficulty obtaining such care in general dental services. This includes but is not limited to children and young people with severe learning disabilities, physical disabilities and those with severe autistic spectrum disorders.
Support
Some dentists may be able to treat people with special needs in their surgery. However, for many reasons you may not be able to get your child to your dental practice because of a disability, medical condition or they may feel anxious about a visit. In this case, the dentist should refer them, as their patient, to a more specialised dental service.
The service is provided from 3 clinics, Pendeford Health Centre, Phoenix Health Centre and Pennfields Health Centre, as well as Special schools and PRU provision they offer Mobile Dental Unit.
How to access the service
- Must live in Wolverhampton or have a Wolverhampton GP.
- Referrals can be made by General Dental Practitioners or Healthcare Professionals (including GPs).
Contact
- Email: rwh-tr.Pennfields-Dental-services@nhs.net
- Telephone: 01902 444182
Orthotics
About
Orthotics may recommend either splints, braces, specialist footwear or insoles to enhance your child’s development and functional abilities.
Support
These are some of the specialist equipment offered by the service -
- Shoes and insoles
- Calipers and splints
- Knee braces
- Back supports
- Wrist braces
- Support hosiery
- Collars
- Hip supports
- Shoulder supports
- Ankle supports
A patient information leaflet (PIL) about purchasing footwear to accommodate splints is available via the orthotics department and each patient will be given advice about appropriate footwear during their appointment.
How to give a compliment or compliant about the service
The orthotics department takes part in the ‘Friends and Family Test’, feedback forms are available in the reception area for you to provide feedback. Or you can provide feedback about the service by visiting Patient experience team.
Contact
The Continence Care Service - 5 years and above
About
The continence care team provides support services for children and young people with day and/or night-time, bladder and bowel continence problems. Supporting children with and without additional needs.
The Community Children’s Nursing service offers support and assessment for those children aged 5 and over for continence product assessment and provision.
The Community Paediatricians and the Continence Clinical Nurse Specialist offer support and advice for continence issues.
Any Continence issues under 5 years old, are recommended that you speak to your Health Visitor about this.
For further information and resources on helping you and your child who has continence issues, please access the ERIC website.
Support
- The service offers product assessment and provision as appropriate, following national guidance on clinical provision and assessment of individual needs. They also signpost for further support.
- Initial assessments may be performed via a telephone consultation or a face-to-face appointment dependent upon the clinical need. If the assessment indicates that there is a clinical requirement for a face-to-face appointment, then this will be arranged to take place either at Lower Green Health Centre or at home. The Continence Care Service perform assessments in the environment that has the most potential for a successful outcome.
- They manage a home delivery service for the provision of containment aids, in collaboration with the adult team, to clients who have been assessed and require ongoing management as part of their care. The service can only prescribe containment products (pads) that are provided by the appointed supplier that has been awarded the contract via the tendering process. All prescriptions provided are determined by evidence based clinical need.
- The Community Children’s nurses are based at Green Park school and Penn Hall school where support for continence issues would be dealt with. If other schools want to raise continence issues regarding certain pupils, then they can raise this directly with the parents who will need to speak to their GP/Paediatrician about their concerns.
How to access the service
For children and families who want to access the services, please speak to your Paediatric Community Consultant or your GP. Referrals are usually received from the child’s GP.
How to give a compliment or compliant about the service
Contact The Gem Centre directly to access the most appropriate person.
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust service feedback can be provided by visiting Patient experience team.
Contact
- E-mail: rwh-tr.continence-team@nhs.net
- Telephone: 01902 444503
- Children’s Community Nursing Service, The Gem Centre, Neachells Lane, Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, WV11 3PG
Learning Disability Team
About
The team consists of a Learning Disability Lead nurse, 2 Learning Disability Nurses and a Learning Disability Support Worker.
Support
They provide bespoke support to people of any age with a diagnosed learning disability, at outpatient appointments and when they are an inpatient. They will also arrange reasonable adjustments in advance.
How to access the service
The Learning Disability Team offer an open referral system and will take referrals from any source including patients and their families.
The service is available Monday- Friday 9am-5pm excluding bank holidays.
- Telephone: 01902 695163 (You may need to leave a message for someone to get back to you)
- Email: rwh-tr.LearningDisabilities@nhs.net
How to give a compliment or compliant about the service
Contact our Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS).
- Email: rwh-tr.pals@nhs.net
- Text: 07880601085
- Telephone: 01902 695362 or 01902 695368
Clinical Nurse Specialist – Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)/Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
About
The Specialist ADHD and ASD Nursing team includes two Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS), and an Advanced Support Worker. The team work closely with Community Paediatricians as part of the ADHD pathway for assessment, which includes observational assessment and QB Testing (a motion tracking test which objectively measures cognitive performance and activity), diagnosis and management of ADHD.
Support
The team are able to provide advice, support and appropriate signposting relating to ADHD and ASD for those children and young people under the care of a Community Paediatrician.
How to access the service
Child / young person to be undergoing assessment of ADHD / ASD or diagnosed.
How to give a compliment or compliant about the service
The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust service feedback can be provided by visiting Patient experience team.
Community Learning Disability Teams (age 18+)
About
Learning Disability Community service is for people over 18 years of age who have a diagnosed learning disability, are unable to access mainstream health services effectively and/or require access to a specialist health team.
Contact
Website: Community Learning Disability Teams - Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust