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Paediatrics (general)

Private patients| | Which patients should be referred?| | Common problems| | Paediatric Consultant Advisory Service| | Children's Clinical Decision Unit  |

Choose & Book

Use Choose & Book for routine new patient referrals for children aged between 0 – 16 years (i.e. up to, but not beyond,  their 16th birthday) with general paediatric problems.

Clinics are held in both the Children's Hospital on the John Radcliffe site, and at the Horton General Hospital.

Urgent patients

John Radcliffe Hospital

Referrals for children who need seeing urgently (within two weeks) should be directed to the 'Rapid Access clinic' on the fax number below.

• Fax: 01865 222061

To refer to a named paediatrician, please send to:

• Fax: 01865 234211

Horton General Hospital

Referrals for children (local to Banbury) who need seeing urgently (within two weeks) should be faxed to the number below.

• Fax: 01295 229043
• Please ring 01295 229012/4 to ensure that the fax is collected.

Private patients

A private patient general paediatric clinic (excluding developmental concerns) is run in the Children's Hospital on the John Radcliffe site by Dr Raymond Brown.

• Tel: 07717 221869
• Fax (referrals): 01844 239338

Which patients should be referred to General Paediatrics?

Essentially any child for whom a secondary care opinion is sought for a medical condition. Any list given cannot be exhaustive, but some of the more common reasons for referral are given below.

Please note that conditions that may ultimately, but not necessarily, need a tertiary opinion (e.g. asymptomatic cardiac murmur heard at pre-school check, headaches without any other obvious worrying features, persistent loose stools), should be directed to General Paediatrics in the first instance.

Common problems referred to General Paediatrics

• Minor abnormalities e.g. funny head shape, unusual birthmarks, soft dysmorphic features
• Failure to thrive or concerns about growth
• Recurrent abdominal pain
• Persistent loose stools / food intolerance
• Bedwetting or daytime enuresis
• UTI if referral necessary as per NICE guideline
• Headaches
• Funny turns
• Concerns about minor developmental issues
• Asymptomatic cardiac murmurs
  
  Cardiac murmurs detected at newborn examination (pdf)
• Recurrent cough / noisy breathing

If in doubt, either contact Dr Craze's secretary to enquire:

• Tel: 01865 234199

or refer to General Paediatrics and the referral will be accepted or passed on to an appropriate specialty team if necessary.

Exclusions – again, this cannot be an exhaustive list, but includes specific surgical problems e.g. hernias, major developmental issues (refer to community paediatrics), concerns about autism or ADHD (community paeds or CAMHS).

Paediatric Consultant Advisory Service

Following a consultation with local GPs, a pilot Paediatric Consultant Advisory Service will begin on 1 September 2011 and will last for three months.

• Paediatric Consultant Advisory Service

Children's Clinical Decision Unit

There is a Children's Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) on Bellhouse-Drayson Ward in the Children's Hospital.

The Unit is open every day from 10.00am until midnight for medical and related conditions. It provides assessment, treatment and/or observation of children, under 16 years old, who need to be in hospital for less than eight hours.

Children are assessed in the Emergency Department in the usual way, referrals booked through the ward Registrar (bleep 1392). All referrals must be made by 9.00pm. Children admitted to CDU will then either be admitted to an inpatient bed or discharged home.