John Parkes Unit

Torbay Hospital Annexe
Newton Road
Torquay

Tel: 01803 655958

• Torbay Hospital Annexe layout

Services

Respite unit for life limited and special needs children.

Child Development Centre

Welcome to the John Parkes Unit Child Development Centre. We offer a service for pre-school children with a wide range of needs and abilities. Children all develop skills at different rates. Some walk or talk at a very early age, while others take a longer time to reach their developmental milestones. There are many other skills that children need to learn and may need a little extra help for them to acquire and develop. Some children have more complex difficulties to overcome and require ongoing therapy from our multidisciplinary team to help them achieve their full potential. Assessment at John Parkes can help identify the areas where help is needed by looking at all areas of your child's development and build on the strengths that your child already has, as well as putting you in touch with all the services and resources helpful in your child's care.

The Multi-disciplinary Team

The team includes doctors, speech and language therapists, clinical psychologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, nursing staff and nursery nurses.

We also work very closely with our colleagues in education. Pre-school advisory teachers help you to find playgroups and nursery placements best suited to your child's needs. They also manage the portage service. This is a team of specially trained helpers who visit special needs children in their own homes to work with parents and children on areas on development through play. When it is time to start thinking about school they will ensure that your child will have a smooth transition into nursery and school with the support that they may require.

Our positive links with health visitors and social services helps to look at any support that you may need in the home.

Children are referred to John Parkes by one of our hospital paediatric consultants. We will then arrange a home visit by our team leader who will be the Nursery Nurse responsible for co-ordinating your child's care. She is usually accompanied by our speech and language therapist or sometimes another member of our team, depending on the specialist help your child needs. This gives us opportunity to introduce ourselves. We will tell you more about the service we offer, listen to the concerns that you have and answer any questions.

The Assessment

If we feel your child will benefit from being assessed by our team we will invite you to attend for assessment. This most often takes place through our nursery for a period of six weeks. The assessment group takes place on a Monday morning, starting at 09:30 and finishing at 12:00 noon. Some children go home then and others may stay for lunch. This is particularly helpful if your child has difficulties with diet or feeding. Occasionally we may invite you to appointments with the specific therapists rather than the nursery group. In certain situations we may be able to assess your child over a shorter period in our ward area. We recognise that each child is unique and we therefore aim to tailor the assessment to meet your child's specific needs.

The Nursery

Our nursery groups are very small with only up to six children at each session. We have four nursery nurses. On your child's first nursery day you will be welcomed by one of our nursery nurses who will be working with you throughout the six weeks. She will show you around the unit and do the necessary admission paperwork. She will also measure your child's weight and height. Much of this session is spent getting to know each other. There will be an opportunity to explore the nursery and other facilities (we also have a water room and a sensory room). Some children may be a little nervous or tired on their first day so if you do not wish to stay for all of the session we will understand.

In the following weeks you will be seen by members of the therapy team. Most of the time, however, is spent within the nursery with the nursery nurses who work very closely with all the therapists carrying out play activities to help in specific areas of your child's development. Play is very important in the way children progress and learn. The nursery nurses will be looking at how children play and relate to other children and adults through activities, rhymes, sand and water play etc. that is usual for any nursery.

Other Appointments

As part of an overall assessment of your child's health and progress we arrange for hearing and vision checks. Regular clinics are held for hearing and visual assessment both here and at the main hospital site. Either way you will receive a separate appointment for these in the post direct from that department. Occasionally the date may not be within the six week period of the main assessment, so do not worry about this.

For some children it is necessary for them to have routine screening as part of their assessment. If blood needs to be taken we usually apply a local anaesthetic cream. This helps minimise any distress caused although some children may still find the procedure upsetting.

The Joint Assessment Clinic

At the end of six weeks you will stop coming to the assessment group (or when the assessment is complete), there will be a short break (usually about 2-3 weeks). Then we all meet together with yourselves, your consultant paediatrician and often your health visitor to discuss the outcome of the assessment. Each therapist and your nursery nurse involved in the assessment will have written a report. You will receive a copy of all the reports and we welcome your own contribution. They may be other professionals present who are involved in or will be involved in your child's care.

Having identified your child's strengths and areas which may need further therapy or help we can formulate a plan with you as to the best course of action to assist your child in achieving their full potential. Some children may have their needs best met in the community with services closer to home or as outpatients, other children may need continued therapy by two or more of our therapists and would benefit from continuing the nursery. If this is the case we would offer you a place in one of our continuing nursery groups on a different day. It may occasionally be necessary to wait a short time until a place becomes available in a suitable group.

We will continue to monitor your child's progress and may have further joint clinics or wish to change your child's nursery group periodically to ensure their needs are still being met.

Working in Partnership with Parents/Carer

We recognise that as parents/carers you know your child best and you have the major role in dealing with the difficulties confronting you. As such you are there most important people in your child's care. We will work alongside you and for you. We respect your views and wishes and will be flexible to accommodate your needs wherever possible.

In order to work in partnership with you we encourage higher parental/carer involvement. Children spend a large part of their time at home with their parents and very little time at the John Parkes Unit so you will have the opportunity to learn therapy techniques and play ideas to develop your child's skills that can be continued by yourselves at home.

We cannot take away the disease or disability, but we accept that the problems are real for you and your family. Our aim is to help you become more confident in managing these difficulties.

Above all we will listen.

Also see:

• Child & Family Guidance
• Child Health
• Torbay Childrens Disability Service