Overview
We provide medical care for children with disabilities and special needs e.g. developmental difficulties, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and genetic disorders.
We provide support for the assessment of children with special educational needs.
We often see children with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD), assessing if there is an underlying neurodevelopmental problem. We work closely with other agencies such as Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), schools, Bromley well-being service and Bromley Children’s Project to manage these.
We work with other agencies to support vulnerable children e.g. those at risk of abuse or neglect, support for children in care or going through adoption.
We offer medical assessment and ongoing support for children with chronic constipation, soiling, and complex enuresis (Day and Night time wetting)
We are involved in training junior doctors to become specialist paediatricians. The junior doctors are part of our team and assess and treat children. All junior doctors are supervised by a the consultant paediatrician.
Community Paediatricians also fulfil a number of statutory functions (services that we have a legal duty to offer) including:
Designated and Named Doctors for Child Protection
Designated Paediatrician for Child Deaths
Medical Adviser for Adoption and Fostering
Designated Doctor for Looked After Children
The current average waiting time for the Community Paediatrics service is 20 weeks.
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
Using this service
If you think your child would benefit from our service then you should speak to your doctor (GP), school nurse, health visitor, social worker or your child’s teacher. After a discussion, they can refer you to the service if they think that we can help you and your child.
Click here to download our referral criteria | PDF.
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
ADHD
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Service
ADHD is a medical condition where children show difficulties in 3 areas:
Inattention: this includes difficulties concentrating, organising oneself and often forgetting things
Hyperactivity: this includes constantly being on the go, fidgeting/squirming when expected to sit still and constantly talking, or making a noise
Impulsivity: this includes doing or saying things without thinking of the consequences, shouting out in class and difficulties waiting a turn
Many children show some of these difficulties at times in their life although, if they are there a lot of the time and are having a significant effect on your child’s life, it may be they have ADHD. A diagnosis of ADHD is usually not made until children are 6 years old.
How to be referred to the ADHD service
This service supports children and young people who are over 5 years old, and who are struggling with paying attention or concentrating with suspected ADHD. Children under 5 should be referred to their Health Visitor and/or the Bromley Children’s Project (BCP).
For children aged 5-6, parents or carers need to attend a Parenting Course through the BCP before making a referral. This course is the first line of intervention/treatment for ADHD-type behaviours. Referrals should come from the child’s school or education setting and include a completed Vanderbilt questionnaire and School ADHD Report Form, which can be found on the Bromley Education website. If the child is not in school, information should be enclosed from another professional (e.g. Speech Therapist, Educational Psychologist, Behavioural Therapist etc), highlighting the difficulties the child is showing, including their observations of the child.
What happens next?
Questionnaires will usually be required from both the school and parents/carers to get further information, after which an appointment with one of the Community Paediatricians is then offered where you can discuss your concerns. If needed, a subsequent school-based observation can then be organised.
Treatment of ADHD
If a diagnosis of ADHD is made the doctor will discuss treatment options for ADHD with you. Depending on the severity of the ADHD these may include parenting groups/workshops looking at how to manage difficult behaviour and/or medication.
Parenting groups/workshops/courses are offered by Bromley Children’s Project locally and we would recommend that you contact them to discuss which course best meet your needs.
Further information about ADHD can be obtained from the charity: ADDISS
Appointments
You will receive a letter inviting you to see one of our paediatricians and you should come at the time requested. Our paediatricians are very friendly and used to seeing children and their parents or carers every day. We will talk to you about your particular concerns or conditions to find out more. We will assess your child which will include examination of the child as clinically indicated. We may also ask you to provide us with additional information to help us to understand more about you and offer helpful advice. We may also refer you to other services that can help you, such as speech and language therapy, CAMHS and other local authority educational services.
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
More information
More about some of the things that the Community Paediatrician might help you with
The Community Paediatrician offers support and medical care on a wide range of conditions. Some of these are described via the links below:
Autism
Down’s Syndrome
ADHD (Hyperactivity)
Constipation and soiling
Leaflets
What to expect from a Community Paediatric appointment
Child Protection Medical Assessment
Sleep diary
Information on sleep and how to build a picture of your sleep pattern, for existing patients of the service. This helps us give advice on sleep difficulties.
Behaviour Management
This leaflets offers advice and ways to manage your child’s behaviour.
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.
For professionals
Consultant Paediatrician and Clinical Lead for Community Paediatrics: Dr David Osoba
Calls may be recorded for training and quality purposes. To find out more, visit Personal information – Bromley Healthcare.