How do I get an appointment?
Your child will be referred to our service by their GP, hospital consultant or another healthcare professional in south east England.
We offer different clinics:
Changing or cancelling your appointment
If you need to change or cancel your child’s appointment, please contact the appointment centre on 020 7188 4000 or email paediatricappointment@gstt.nhs.uk.
Please tell us as soon as possible so we can offer the appointment to another patient and book another appointment for your child.
Before your appointment
It is helpful if you bring the following to your child's appointment:
- any previous correspondence from other medical teams involved in your child's care
- a pair of shorts and a vest or t-shirt to make examination of joints easier
- a list of medicines your child is taking, including the dose.
There may be some periods of waiting at your appointment so you might find it helpful to bring things for your child to do while you wait, plus a snack and a drink.
During your appointment
You will meet several different health professionals during your first appointment with the team. This is because chronic pain may have an effect on lots of areas of your child's life, and your own.
When you arrive, please check in at reception. You may be given a questionnaire for you and your child to complete. This helps with our assessment.
A member of the team will talk through your child's pain and medical history with you and your child. We'll ask you how your child's pain is affecting their life, mood, education and your family as a whole. We often spend time with your child or yourself individually as a routine part of our assessment.
We may measure your child's height, weight and blood pressure. If your child needs to have blood tests or x-rays, we will try to arrange for these to be done on the same day as your appointment.
It is not always possible to predict the needs of our patients during appointments. This can occasionally lead to longer waiting times, but we will always try to see you as promptly as possible. Appointments usually last 45 to 75 minutes.
If we prescribe medication for your child, this can usually be collected from the pharmacy at Evelina London.
As we are a teaching hospital, students and visitors may be observing the team. We will always ask your permission for them to observe your appointment.
After your appointment
At the end of the appointment, we'll make a care plan with you and your child. There are lots of different types of treatment to manage chronic pain so we'll talk to you about which options may suit your child best.
We will write to the person who referred your child to explain what happened at the appointment and what will happen next. We'll also send a copy of this letter to you, your GP and any other healthcare professionals involved in your child’s care. It is helpful for you to bring a list of professionals who you would like to receive a copy of this letter. It is routine practice for us to contact other professionals before or after the initial appointment to help make sure your child's care is coordinated across different services.
The letter will have our contact number if you have any questions.