Community health services for children and young people
School Health Service
The School Health Service works across all schools in the borough, providing:
- school entry health assessments (including vision and hearing screening, height and weight checks)
- weight management and education programme
- school-age immunisations
- safeguarding support.
Nursing Care
The Children’s Community Nursing Team provides specialist nursing care to children in their own homes and in community settings (including schools, nurseries and respite care facilities).
Physiotherapy
The Children’s Community Physiotherapy Service carry out assessments, treatments and various interventions for children and young people with:
- neurological conditions and related diagnoses
- genetic abnormalities
- neurological conditions requiring post-operative management.
Occupational Therapy
The Children’s Occupational Therapy Team carry out initial assessments, reviews, group and individual intervention to help children achieve the skills needed for home and school independence.
Speech and Language Therapy
The Children’s Speech and Language Therapy Team work with children and young people who have difficulties with:
- language
- speech
- communication
- eating and drinking.
Children’s Community Asthma Service
The aim of the Children's Community Asthma Service is to ensure that your child’s asthma is as well controlled as possible so that it doesn’t get in the way of his or her life. We can help you:
- Understand what asthma is and how to control it
- Use inhalers correctly
- Understand the triggers of asthma that could make your asthma harder to control
- Understand and use your child’s asthma action plan
- Recognise when your child is unwell with asthma and what medicine to give
- Avoid admissions to hospital and visits to A&E
- Reduce school absence due to asthma or wheeze.
Family Nurse Partnership
The Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) provides a home visiting service to support young first time mothers (aged 22 years and under) from early pregnancy until their child is two years old.
HIV Services
The Children’s HIV Service provides management for babies born to HIV positive mothers and provides HIV testing for children.
Immunisation Team
The Childhood Immunisation Team provides coordination and support to ensure the delivery of effective immunisation programmes, other than those that occur in front line immunisation centres.
Looked after Children
The Looked After Children and Young People (LAC & YP) Team in Lewisham constitutes an integral part of the Safeguarding Team.
Its work deals with the most disadvantaged group of the general child population and has to address health issues unique to this group.
Care Coordination Service
Safeguarding
The Safeguarding Children Team is made up of lots of different healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses and midwives who are specially trained in safeguarding. The team covers a range of activities across the Trust to support staff to meet their safeguarding children responsibilities. We work with multiagency partners to promote the welfare of children and ensure timely information sharing and risk assessment occurs.
Special needs nursing
The Special Needs Nursing Team offers specialist health visiting support and special needs nursing to children and young people ages 0-19 years, with complex learning/physical needs in the borough of Lewisham.
Health visiting
Health Visitors are registered nurses or midwives with a specialist qualification in public health. They work with families who have children between the ages of 0 and five.