What happens at your first appointment?
New patient appointments last around 60-90 minutes depending on child’s age. Follow-up appointments will last around 30-45 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 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. 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.
What happens at the QB appointment?
The health care assistant will check your details, explain the QB test to you and allow you to give the QB equipment a try before starting the test. The health care assistant will stay in the room with you for the duration of the QB test. Once the test is completed, you can go home and a doctor will receive the results to review. The appointment usually lasts about 30 minutes.
How to prepare for the appointment
- Please avoid consuming sugary drinks on the day of the test.
- Please avoid wearing any shiny, sequinned or reflective clothing, and no jewellery as this may affect the camera used to perform the test.
- Bring a list of all the medicines you take, including any over-the-counter ones.
Medication review appointment
The nurse will introduce themselves and check your information is up to date.
The appointment usually lasts about 30-60 minutes.
The nurse will check your:
- weight
- height
- blood pressure
- pulse (heartbeat).
These checks help see how your body is reacting to the medication.
The nurse will ask:
- is the medication helping with your symptoms?
- are you having any side effects? Do you feel better or worse since starting the medication?
- is the medication helping you at school, home, or with friends?
The nurse may:
- suggest a change in how much medication you take
- suggest a different medication if needed
- give tips to help you remember to take your medication
- talk to your doctor or other health professionals if needed.
How often are these appointments?
Starting nedication: You will have a review about 6-8 weeks after starting your medication.
After that: You may have a review more regularly while your medication is being adjusted.
Once stable: If your medication is working well, you might only need a review once or twice a year.
How to prepare for the appointment
- Medication list: Bring a list of all the medicines you take, including any over-the-counter ones.
- Sleep diary: This is only for sleep medication reviews. Please complete a sleep diary for your appointment.
- Symptom diary: Write down any changes in your symptoms or side effects since your last appointment.
- Questions: Think of any questions or concerns you want to discuss with the clinician.
Remember: These appointments are important to make sure your ADHD medication is working well and is safe for you. If you have any worries or need help, don't hesitate to ask your nurse for support.
Pharmacy technician medication review
What happens at this appointment
The technician will introduce themselves and check your information is up to date.
The appointment usually lasts about 30 minutes.
What the technician will ask about?
- The ADHD medication that your child is taking
- When your child is taking ADHD medication and making sure it is being taken correctly
- Any other medications that your child is taking and any allergies to medications they have.
The technician will ask for your:
- child’s recent weight
- child’s recent height
- child’s recent blood pressure
- child’s recent pulse (heartbeat).
These should have been collected a week ahead of the appointment. These checks help see how your child’s body is reacting to the medication. These measurements are very important as we need to check if the ADHD medication has affected your child's growth or heart.
If the measurements have not been done in time for the appointment, we will urgently expect them to be done and you will need to email the results within two weeks kentchft.cpmedicaladmin@nhs.net.
The technician will ask for any changes that have been noticed in your child since starting ADHD medication.
- Is the medication helping with your child’s symptoms?
- Is your child having any side effects? Do they feel better or worse since starting the medication?
- Is the medication helping your child at school, home, or with friends?
- Is the medication changing your child’s sleep or eating?
It is important to find out if ADHD medication has helped your child's concentration and focus in school, and find out of ADHD traits, like being easily distracted and fidgeting have changed.
Outcome of the appointment
Every child is treated as an individual and this is not complete list of outcomes following your child's appointment:
- if your child has reacted well to their ADHD medication, that medication will continue and a six month review will be booked with a technician
- if further information is required or your child needs longer on the current medication, either another post medication initiation appointment or three month review will be booked
- if your child has not responded to medication or there has been side effects, a discussion will take place with the clinician who started the ADHD medication and the technician, which may result in dose changes or a medication change.
How to prepare for the appointment
Medication list: Bring a list of all the medicines your child takes, including any over-the-counter ones.
Symptom diary: Write down any changes in your child’s symptoms or side effects since your last appointment.
Have a list of your child’s updated measurements: weight, height, blood pressure, and pulse. These should have been collected a week ahead of the appointment.
Questions: Think of any questions or concerns you want to discuss with the technician.
Nurse video appointment
What happens at the nurse video appointment?
The nurse will introduce themselves and check your information is up to date.
The nurse will talk to your child about their school, hobbies and interests. The nurse will be talking to and observing your child.
The nurse will then talk to you about your child and identify any areas of support you and your child may need whilst you are waiting for a follow up face-to-face appointment.
The nurse will provide advice to you based on your child’s needs.
After the appointment the nurse will send you links to support groups, education sessions and learning tools.
How to prepare for the appointment
- The link for your video appointment will be sent to you by the nurse just before the time of the appointment by text message. The video platform is called Accurx. Please click on the link you receive by text and follow the instructions. There is nothing to download.
- Please let us know any changes to your telephone details to allow us to text the correct number. You can do this via our email address kcht.communitypaediatrics@nhs.net or call us on 03001234087.
Some things to bear in mind for the 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 (the ‘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.
Contacting us
If you cannot attend the appointment offered please contact us as soon as possible so that we can offer it to another family. We will invite you to attend on an alternative date.
0300 123 4087
kcht.CommunityPaediatrics@nhs.net