Evolving Your Child's Continuing Care Team
21 November 2023
We recognise how important NHS Continuing Care and Continuing Healthcare assessments can be for pupils with complex medical needs and their families. We are keen to support families with these assessments so that they can get the right support packages at home and for wider funding purposes.
Establishing strong links with Continuing Care/Healthcare professionals helps us to support families even more effectively.
Chailey Heritage Foundation took part in a national discussion about NHS Continuing Care when senior clinical services professionals from across the UK met online to share current thinking about this crucial care system.
Paula Marten, Assistant Headteacher at CHF, and the school’s lead for Continuing Care/Healthcare, joined the SBK Healthcare conference on 16th November as a speaker, giving an in-depth account of the help that the Chailey joint working teams offer to parents, carers, and young people who are seeking NHS funding.
Josephine Kleinjan, Specialist Paediatric Occupational Therapist, represented Chailey Clinical Services at the event, raising discussion points about recurring challenges faced by families and professionals involved in the assessment process.
The all-day conference focused on establishing effective communication with parents and commissioners, transitioning to adult services, and navigating changes in respite care and assessment eligibility.
Paula presented about bridging the gap between children’s and adults’ continuing care services – explaining why this is so important for young people with complex neurodisabilities and health care needs, and their families.
Supporting families throughout the assessment process is an aspect of the CHF service that teams across the Foundation have worked hard to develop and transform in recent years. The conference offered the opportunity for Paula to share this work with professionals from some of the UK’s NHS Integrated Care Boards (ICBs.) This established and strengthened links between Chailey Heritage and their Continuing Care/Healthcare teams and ensures that they know they can rely on a ‘best practice’ response from the Foundation - from the initial assessment request, through to the final decision and where necessary, appeal.
Focus groups enabled discussion about a range of linked topics – respite care, clarifying the role of social versus health care, and alleviating common tensions. It was valuable to hear the views of colleagues from across the country, who are skilled and experienced in implementing Continuing Care/Healthcare – from leading assessments to allocating Personal Budgets and managing home care packages.
If you would like any further information or help with Continuing Care or Continuing Healthcare assessments, please contact:
Paula Marten
Assistant Headteacher
Chailey Heritage Foundation
01825 724 444
