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Community Paediatrics

Services

Community Paediatrics at the Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust provides comprehensive, child-centred care for babies, children and young people within their local community. Our service focuses on assessment, diagnosis, management and ongoing support for a wide range of developmental and health needs.

We work closely with families, schools and partner agencies to ensure each child’s needs are understood and supported across home, education and healthcare settings.

 

Our Approach

Specialised Expertise:

Community Paediatricians are trained in both hospital and community settings, offering a broad and unique perspective on children’s health and development. We work closely with acute paediatric teams to ensure continuity of care when children require hospital-based treatment.

Supporting a Wide Range of Needs:

We assess and support children and young people with:

  • Developmental delays
  • Neurodisability and complex neurological conditions
  • Neurodiversity, including autism and ADHD (suspected ADHD with moderate to severe learning disabilities need a referral to Learning Disability CAMHS service)
  • Chronic medical conditions
  • Learning disabilities
  • Child protection and safeguarding concerns

Joined-up Care, Multi-disciplinary care:

We collaborate with a wide range of professionals to provide co-ordinated care. This includes:

  • School and education staff
  • Speech and Language Therapy (SALT) teams
  • Dysphagia specialists
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Physiotherapists
  • Social workers
  • Hospice and palliative care teams
  • Autism assessment services
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Specialists
  • Hospital-based experts
  • Health visitor

 

Our goal is to ensure children receive the right support, from the right professionals, at the right time.

Family-Focused Support:

We place families at the centre of care. Our team provides advice, guidance and practical support to help parents and carers understand their child’s needs and access appropriate services and resources.

Referral and Assessment:

Referrals are usually made by GPs or other healthcare professionals.

For children under 5, referrals are triaged through a multidisciplinary Single Point of Access, helping ensure each child is directed to the most appropriate service from first contact.

Assessments may include:

  • Detailed discussions with parents or carers
  • Observation of the child
  • Review of medical, educational and relevant background information

 

Long-term Management and Ongoing Care:

Community Paediatricians play a key role in the long-term management of children with chronic conditions or disabilities. We work closely with specialist and palliative care teams, including hospice services, to provider co-ordinated, compassionate care for children with complex or life-limiting conditions.

 

Conditions and Services We Support

Our service provides assessment, advice and management for:

  • Developmental Delays: Assessments and interventions for children who are not developing at the expected pace.
  • Neuro-disability: Care for children with conditions like cerebral palsy, autism, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
  • Learning Disabilities: Support for children with learning difficulties.
  • Child Protection: Addressing concerns about child safety and wellbeing.
  • Special Educational Needs: Advice and support for children with special educational needs.
  • Hearing problems: Assessment and management of hearing problems.
  • Looked After Children: Supporting children in the care system.
  • Adoption and Fostering: Advice and support for families involved in adoption and fostering.
  • Vision Impairment: Assessment and management of vision impairment.
  • Complex Neuro-disability: Care for children with complex neurological conditions.
  • Palliative Care: Support for children with life-limiting conditions.

 

What does the service not offer?

  • General medical conditions such as asthma, eczema or headaches
  • Autism assessments or diagnosis over the age of 5
  • Behavioural issues (this should initially be referred to Family Support Services). We may offer an initial medical assessment, but we are not able to provide on-going behaviour management support.
  • Emotional health and wellbeing support.
  • Dyslexia and specific learning difficulties.
  • Obesity and growth problems (please contact your GP for support with this).
  • Constipation
  • Sleep (where this does not form part of broader neurodevelopmental support).
  • Diagnosing Learning Disability.
  • Suspected ADHD with moderate to severe learning disabilities.

 

If you are waiting for a new or follow up appointment and you are concerned about your child’s health please contact your GP, call 111 or 999 if an emergency.

Flowers digital art

Dr Subramanian Mahadevan – Clinical Service Lead and Consultant Community Paediatrician

Dr Samanthi Wilegoda – Consultant Community Paediatrician

Dr Subramanian Iyer – Consultant Community Paediatrician

Andrea Walker – Clinical Nurse Specialist for ADHD

Kerry Locke – Medical Secretary

Anneka Weston – Medical Secretary

Emma Poole – Medical Secretary

This service is available at:

  • Russells Hall Hospital
  • Family Hubs
  • Special school clinic

Where to find us:

  • Ground floor (outpatients), east wing, Russells Hall Hospital
  • Stourbridge  – Forge Rd, Stourbridge, DY8 1XF, 01384 818780
  • Brierley Hill – 18 Parkes Street, Brierley Hill, DY5 3DY, 01384 813322
  • Lye – Lye By-Pass, Stourbridge, DY9 8HT, 01384 813954
  • Coseley – Bayer Street, Bilston, WV14 9DS, 01384 813096
  • Dudley – Selborne Road, Dudley DY2 8LJ, 01384 812440

 

Useful telephone numbers:

  • Switchboard 01384 456111
  • Secretaries extension 3520, 3345, 3362 or email dgft.paediatricadmin@nhs.net
  • Children’s Outpatients based at Russells Hall Hospital –  extension 1280
  • C2 Children’s Ward – 2271

Clinical Directorate:

  • Children’s Services

 

Management Team:

  • Dr Amy Page, Clinical Director
  • Lesley Leddington, Matron for Paediatrics
  • Karen Anderson, Head of Children’s Services
  • Alis Rasul, Directorate Manager
  • Rebecca Ward, Interim Directorate Manager
  • Emma Elliott, Assistant Directorate Manager

Patients can obtain support and information for anxiety and other related mental health issues from these websites below:

www.youngminds.org.uk

www.phasetrust.org.uk

www.kooth.com

www.barnardos.org.uk/get-support/support-for-parents-and-carers/mental-health/supporting-your-childs-mental-health/

www.nhs.uk/mental-health

www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/supporting-others/childrens-mental-health/

Request Counselling at Lighthouse Counselling Centre –

www.dudleycounsellingcentre.co.uk

Bee Well Groups – Private Service. Patients will have to pay –

www.beewellgroups.co.uk

 

Patients can obtain support and information on ADD, dyslexia and dyspraxia from these websites below:

www.bdadyslexia.org.uk

www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk

www.crossboweducation.com

www.add.org.uk

www.dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk

 

Patients can obtain support and information for autism from these websites below:

THE NATIONAL AUTISTIC SOCIETY: www.autism.org.uk

AUTISM WEST MIDLANDS: www.autismwestmidlands.org.uk

www.childautism.org.uk

www.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk

CYGNET AUTISM SUPPORT. https://barnados-parenting.org.uk

A support programme for parents and carers of children and young people, aged 5-18, who are autistic.

 

 

Patients can obtain support and information for sleep issues from these websites below:

CEREBRA https://cerebra.org.uk/

CHILD SLEEP SOLUTIONS  http://www.childsleepsolutions.co.uk/

THE SLEEP CHARITY https://thesleepcharity.org.uk/information-support/children/

SLEEP FOUNDATION https://www.sleepfoundation.org/children-and-sleep

 

Patients can obtain support and information for ADHD from these websites below:

www.ADDISS.co.uk

www.Additudemag.com

www.ADHDvoice.com

www.ADHDandyou.co.uk

www.ADHDfoundation.org.uk

www.ADDISS.co.uk/commonquestionshdm

www.ADHDsolutions.org

www.borntobeADHD.co.uk

 

Patients can obtain support and information on anxiety from these websites below:

https://www.jwbridgethegap.com – Online resources including one to one workshops for children young people and their families (some cost) free online resources regarding difficulties relating to sleep anxiety grief and loss worry and problem solving, mindfulness.

http://www. donothing.uk/ – Online resource about mindfulness. Signposts to useful resources.

Mindshift – Mindshift is an app designed to help teens and young adults cope with anxiety. It can help you change how you think about anxiety rather than trying to avoid anxiety you can make an important shift and face it.

SAM – self help for anxiety management. Sam is a friendly app that offers a range of self-help methods for people who was serious about learning to manage their anxiety.

Smiling mind app -a simple tool that helps put a smile on your mind anytime, anywhere and every day. Mindfulness meditation proves that regular practise helps Combat Stress improves focus and increases resilience. Smiling mind has been created to take these positive effects to the masses.

WellMind app- will mind is your free and a kiss mental health and well-being app designed to help you with stress anxiety and depression. The app includes advice, tips and tools to improve your mental health and boost your will being.

Mood tools -mode tools is an app designed to help combat depression and alleviate negative moods

 

OTHER SUPPORT:

HELPING HANDS HOME CARE www.helpinghandshomecare.co.uk

HELPING HANDS BLACK COUNTRY: helpinghandsbc@family-action.org.uk

AUTISM OUTREACH (FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM IN MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS) https://www.dudley.gov.uk/residents/learning-and-school/information-for-parents/specialist-education-services/autism-outreach/