We are a Community Children’s Nursing and Clinical Psychology team within Sirona Care & Health in Bath. We work with children and young people with life-threatening or life-limiting conditions. We pride nursing support and training to families of these young people. For example:
- Children/young people using a feeding device
- Children/young people with a tracheostomy tube
- Babies, children/young people on home oxygen
- Children/young people with complex health care needs who need nursing support in their home, nursery or school setting.
We also provide psychological support for these young people and families. For example:
- Coping with anxiety, depression, sadness or anger
- Managing the condition of treatment
- Difficulties in relationships
- Coping with loss or bereavement
Why do young people with SEND access your services?
The Lifetime Service offers a needs-led service within the community for children and young people with life-threatening, life-limiting conditions. This means we work towards the goals that are important for a young person to achieve, rather than following a set programme of care.
We aim to support children and young people and their families with complex health care needs to, as far as possible, reach their full potential. This includes:
- To live safely at home
- To have their physical and emotional health needs supported by their family and carers
- To have their physical and emotional health needs managed in their community, including at school
- To reduce the frequency of hospital stays
Who is eligible for your services?
Our team work with any child or young person with a non-malignant, life-threatening, life-limiting condition aged 0-19 years, who live in North Somerset. We also provide nursing care in this area for children and young people with a long-term condition who have a nursing need, who require support to be discharged home following an acute hospital admission and who also need to have an assessment for Continuing Health care.
Where and when do you provide these services?
Our team, including administrative staff, is available from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Visits are planned with each family on an individual basis. Visits are usually at home, although Lifetime staff will accompany families to any appointment if appropriate.
The Community Children’s Nurses and Psychologists can also provide training and advice in schools, nurseries and respite homes if needed. Nurses can also undertake some clinical tasks to avoid GP visits or outpatient appointments.
How do young people with SEND access your services?
Once the child or young person has been given their diagnosis, a professional involved in the child’s care can refer, either by calling 01225 731624 or accessing the referral form via the Sirona website. Young people and families can refer themselves to our team using the same route.
Our Lifetime nurses provide care and support from time of diagnosis or referral, throughout a young person’s childhood and adolescent years, through transition to adult services. For a child with nursng needs and a long-term condition, the Lifetime Service will provide nursing care so long as the nursing need exists.
Families receiving a nursing service can access support from one of our clinical psychologists via referral from their nurse or paediatrician, or by self-referral. The type and duration of psychology support provided is agreed with each family according to need.
The Lifetime Service also provides bereavement care for families for up to 18 months if a child or young person reaches the end of their life.
We often act as a professional liaison, or link person between children and families and other professionals who are involved in their care. If we don’t know the answer to a problem we will try to refer families on to the most appropriate person/organisation.