Health services for those with SEND
Universal services
Everyone can access universal health services and they are the first point of contact if there are concerns about a child’s health or development. Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) often have their needs met through universal services that are provided in the home, community and education settings.
The following services are universal:
- GP
- Health Visiting Service supports families with children aged 0 to 5
- Children's Centre & Family Hubs support young people with SEND up to the age of 25
- School Nursing Service for children aged 5 years and over in a mainstream school or electively home-educated
Specialist services
Some children with SEND have more complex needs and may need specialist support from different health services at different stages in their lives. The Camden Integrated Children’s Service (CICS) provides specialist services that support families, community settings and schools to meet the health needs of children with SEND.
The following services provide specialist support:
- Occupational therapy enables young people to develop independence and improve their health and wellbeing
- Physiotherapy helps restore movement and function when someone is affected by injury, illness, or disability
- MOSAIC is an integrated service to support children with complex needs and disabilities
- Speech and Language Therapy supports children from birth to 19 years old who have communication needs
- Children’s Audiology (Hearing) Service assesses and treats children's hearing
- Community Paediatrics assess young people for neurodevelopmental concerns
- MOSAIC CAMHS is a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) that sits within the MOSAIC service to support young people with disabilities who also need support with their emotional wellbeing
- Continence, Bladder and Bowel Care Service supports children aged 3 to 19 manage their toileting. ERIC is a children’s continence charity who also provide support and advice
- Whittington Health Community Dental Service provides dentist services for people with disabilities
- Life Force Team supports children and families with end of life care
- Camden and Islington Wheelchair Service supplies wheelchairs to young people and adults with mobility problems. Whizz-KIDZ are a charity who can also help your disabled child with mobility equipment
- Community Children’s Nursing Service supports children in schools and at home with complex medical needs.
- Children’s Continuing Care Team provides additional support to children with the highest level of complex medical needs
Transition to adult care
Within our children’s health teams, there are supportive processes to enable smooth transitions from children's health services to adult services. For example, if a child is seeing a children’s physiotherapist, they will support the child’s transition to adult physiotherapy.
When moving from children's mental health services to adult mental health services, the Minding the Gap transition service can help.
See further information and support with transitions and preparing for adulthood.
NHS Continuing Healthcare is a package of social care funded solely by the NHS for some adults who are living with long-term complex health needs. Find out more about continuing healthcare at Camden Care Choices.