Transition from Children’s to Adult HEN Team

Transition is a term often used in health care to describe the preparation to move on from children's HEN to the adult HEN team. With your consent, the Home Enteral Nutrition (HEN) dietitians involved in your care will share information about your tube feeding with the adult HEN Team.

Transition also gives you time to think about the move to adult services and ask any questions that you need to ask to make sure you are prepared for the move.

Why do I need to move to the adult HEN team?

The HEN Team wants to care for your tube feeding needs in the best way possible. The service has highly specialist dietitians, assistants and a nurse who specialise in the care of adults who are fed by tube.

The HEN Team wants to care for your tube feeding needs in the best way possible. The adult HEN team supports young adults from 18 years with a focus on promoting independence and long-term management of tube feeding. The adult HEN team has working relationships with professionals in other adult services and is the most appropriate team to care for an adult who is fed by tube.

When and how will I move to the adult HEN team?

We aim to transition young adults to the adult HEN team at the age of 18.  If the young adult attends a Specialist School, transition generally happens when they leave full time education, which could be older than 18. Most people will move to the adult services at around the age of 18 to 19 years old.

With your consent we will share your information with the adult team and where appropriate, we will arrange a joint appointment where we will discuss your tube feeding needs with you and ensure there is a plan in place for transition.

Do I need to do anything to make the transition happen?

You do not need to do anything. The children’s HEN Team will facilitate the process and will contact you to make sure you’re included in each step.

Will there be any familiar faces?

Our dietitians occasionally rotate between children and adults to gain experience and ensure we provide the best possible service to all our patients. The feeding company will remain the same and our specialist nurse and administration staff work across all age groups.

What else will be the same?

We will continue to see you on a regular basis. If you have any concerns before you transition into the adult team, you can contact us on the same phone number. With your agreement, we will continue to write to your GP or other health care professionals regarding your tube feeding, as necessary. If you have help from the enteral feed company nurse to change your gastrostomy tube this will continue. The account you have with the enteral feeding company will also stay the same and deliveries will be unaffected.

What will be different?

If you have help from the Children’s Community Nurses (CCNs) for gastrostomy tube changes or care, we will ensure that the adult enteral feeding company nurses are aware of when your tube needs changing and any other needs. If your tube is changed in hospital we will ensure we receive information from the hospital about where your tube is to be changed in the future.

You can choose whether to have your parents/carers present at the consultation. If you would like us to we can talk to them to ensure they know exactly what you need regarding feeding and tube care.