Conditions managed by the General Paediatric Team

The team provides General Paediatric medical input to patients across the hospital to support and improve holistic care for children and young people at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

Important aspects of care that we are involved with include:

• Growth and development
• Nutrition and hydration
• Acute medical complications – such as acute asthma, rashes and infections
• Deteriorating patients
• Common paediatric problems – failure to thrive, eczema, anaemia
• Medical complications of mental health problems
• Comprehensive assessment and liaison around patients with multiple complex problems
• Safeguarding assessment and advice
• Unexplained medical presentations and perplexing illnesses
• MDT
• Support of trainees and allied health professionals at ward level
• Working with the clinical site practitioner to ensure safe, high quality care of the sickest patients on the wards.

Our consultant team welcomes referrals from all specialty teams within the hospital that require General Paediatric input for their patients.

• If teams are unsure whether a problem requires General Paediatric input or sub-specialty input, the General Paediatric Team is happy to discuss the management of these patients, review them if appropriate and/or give advice on referral to other specialties as needed.
• The General Paediatric Team consults on a range of issues including acute illness, nutrition, neonatal care, growth and development, as well as specific issues around Safeguarding. Many of our referrals come from surgical and mental health specialties. However, we are available to provide General Paediatric input into the holistic care of all patients across the Trust irrespective of which specialty they are under.
• A consultant member of our team conducts a ward round for all spinal surgery inpatients daily. We provide pre- and post-operative medical input (including HDU) into the care of children undergoing spinal surgery within the Trust.
• We also provide General Paediatric input into the management of neurosurgical patients.
• Twice a week on Mondays and Fridays mornings a member of the team reviews neonates admitted under the care of general surgery and urology.
• We are also available for involvement in Multi-Disciplinary Team meetings for children and young adults with complex problems, to contribute General Paediatric input and support liaison with local services.
• Members of the General Paediatric Team are also responsible for overseeing the medical treatment of patients admitted to International and Private Care. General Paediatric cover is provided by the attending General Paediatric Consultant on weekdays and Saturday mornings. The team supports the educational supervision of the fellows.
• Our team supports and provides training for medical, nursing and other health professionals within the hospital.
• We provide Safeguarding assessment and advice.
• We are involved with quality improvement work across the trust.

We are involved in a number of outpatient clinics which can be divided into: Complex care clinics; Specialist Clinics; Specialist Pathway and those supporting other teams with Perplexing illness.