Community Paediatrics

• Our team and roles

  Our community paediatric services are made up of a team of specialist children’s doctors with skills and expertise in child development, autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), social and educational paediatrics.

  The Community Paediatric Services are closely linked to hospital services. The services do not usually deal with one-off, short term illness but rather, offers long term support, co-ordination of services and management on a continuous basis to many children with “special needs”, such as a disability or long term illness.

  Much of child health work is of a statutory nature, carried out under the Children Act, the Education Act and Adoption Regulations.

  The community paediatric team is based in Ormskirk hospital

  • Dr Anand Methuku - Consultant
  • Dr Udayanthi Mahamithawa – Lead Consultant
  • Dr Rebecca Stephenson - Consultant
  • Dr Tony Asakpa – Speciality Doctor
  • Faye O’Brien – Advanced Nurse Pracitioner / Independent Non-Medical Prescriber 
  • Sarah O’Neill – Lead Performance & Pathway Coordinator (Administrator)

  • Lisa Williams-Equizi - Performance & Pathway Coordinator (Administrator)

  We will also have a Senior Middle Grade training doctor (Registrar-grade, ST3 and above) with our team who rotates every six months. They will observe and conduct some clinics during their time with our team.

• How we can help?

  Our team provide specialist assessment and support for:

  • IHA assessments for children in care
  • Children with developmental disorders and neurodisability
  • Children with Down’s Syndrome and similar conditions
  • Children who require assessment for Autism Spectrum Conditions
  • Children who require assessment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Children with Special Educational Needs

  We work closely with families to understand your concerns, the information you already have, and the type of support that will work for children, young people and families.

  We work closely with other professionals too, using information from yourself and other people and professionals who know your child.

• Where we work

  Our office, which manages our referrals, is based at Ormskirk Hospital, however we deliver our services to children and young people in convenient and easy to access venues across West Lancashire including:

  • Ormskirk: Community Paediatrics Ormskirk Hospital Wigan Road Ormskirk L39 2AZ Contact Number: 01695656281
  • Sandy Lane: Community Paediatrics Sandy Lane Health Centre Sandy Lane Skelmersdale WN8 8LA Contact Number: 03002470011
• Referrals

  The Community Paediatrics Team in Ormskirk can accept referrals from:

  • GPs
  • Consultants
  • Hospital clinicians
  • CAMHS professionals
  • Specialist Education Professionals (i.e. Educational Psychologists and SEN team and Safe Guarding team in local authority)
  • Specialist Nursing Professionals
  • Health Visitors
  • School Nurses
  • Senior Therapists

  If your child is being referred for only sleep concerns, your GP, health visitor or school nurse can make a direct referral to the sleep clinic at Twinkle House.

  Children will be referred into the Community Paediatric service through a single point of access. This means that all referrals will be reviewed by our consultant paediatrician, who will decide what needs to happen next.

  Our current case load is: around 1200-1300 patients.

• Before you appointment

  If your child has been referred to our team, you will be sent a letter inviting you for an appointment. It is important that you get in touch if you cannot attend this date or time so we can offer your child another initial appointment and they are not discharged for nonattendance.

  Please let us know if your child has any special requirements prior to their appointment, for example, struggles in waiting rooms, crowds, bright lights. We have access to a ‘chill room’ based in Accident and Emergency and we can arrange for this to be available before your appointment. We could also arrange for a virtual clinic appointment if indicated.

  New patient appointments last around 60 minutes depending on child’s age. Follow-up appointments will last around 30 minutes. At the first appointment, the clinician will ask you for information about:

  • you or other’s mains concerns about your child
  • your child’s past medical and health information, including their birth and development
  • hospital admissions or illnesses, medications, allergies and immunisations
  • how your child is getting on at school or nursery
  • who else is in the family or living at home, family history and whether or not any support services have been needed, such as children and young people’s services

  Children will be involved in this process as far as they are able to participate. It’s really important to us that we listen to what children and young people have to say about their care. Your child will be physically examined (in most cases) – we will measure height, weight and sometimes blood pressure and pulse. The clinician will discuss with you their initial thoughts about the concerns you have. They will agree a plan with you and offer recommendations, where needed. The next steps may include the following:

  • gather further specific information and questionnaires from school or other professionals who may know your child
  • signpost to services that can support you or your child with the concerns you have
  • signpost to more information about the possible cause of your concerns
  • ask (refer) to other professionals to see your child to give additional information or support where needed
  • arrange further medical tests (such as blood tests or scans), if appropriate
  • discuss the possibility of medication, if appropriate
  • agree a review timescale and type of appointment
  • discharge from Community Paediatrics, if our service is not needed
• Things to consider for your appointment

  Sometimes parents wish to have a discussion with the doctor without their child present. Should this be the case please arrange for another adult to come with you so that your child can be supervised while you talk in private.

  It is common for us to need to liaise with your child’s school, local children’s centre and other teams that may be involved, in order for us to have a complete picture of your child. We will seek your consent to share information. After the clinic we will write a letter summarising the appointment. You will receive a copy of this. With your agreement we may copy this to other professionals involved with your child.

• What to bring to the appointment

  If possible please bring your child’s health record (‘Red Book’), especially if your child is under five. Please also bring reports from other professionals and the latest school report, if you have them.

Page last updated on 7th February 2025