Allergy
The allergy service includes a paediatric specialist allergy nurse and a paediatric dietician as well as paediatric consultants who specialise in allergy and dermatology. There are twice weekly allergy clinics for:
- allergy affecting the chest, including asthma
- allergy affecting the nose
- allergy affecting the skin eg eczema, urticaria, angiodema
- anaphylaxis
- food allergy
- latex allergy
- drug allergy
The service offers skin prick testing, dietetic advice, pulmonary function tests, training on how to use asthma pumps and Epipens, and food challenges.
When attending the allergy clinic, unless necessary for your child, please do not give antihistamines (e.g. Piriton, Cetirizine, Zirtek or Clarytin) for 5 days before the appointment as they can interfere with the allergy test. Some cough mixtures also contain antihistamine (e.g. Tixylix or Night Nurse).
Our clinics are very busy; please allow 1-2 hours for your appointment as you may need to see more than one professional (e.g doctor, nurse, dietician).
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Asthma
We have specialist asthma clinics for children who find it difficult to control their asthma, for monitoring asthma, training children to use inhaler devices and for lung function tests.
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Cardiology
We provide non-invasive assessment of children with congenital and acquired heart disease. We have paediatricians who are experienced in performing and interpreting echocardiograms. Preventative cardiology, including hyperlipidemia screening and pre and post cardiac surgery follow-up, is also available.
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Child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS)
CAMHS is a child-centred, multidisciplinary assessment and treatment service. It covers a wide range of child and adolescent mental health problems. The team has particular expertise in:
- Eating disorders
- Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Complex neuro developmental disorders (including autism and Tourette’s syndrome)
- Coping with psychological problems and promoting emotional well being alongside chronic and acute physical health problems
- Bereavement in young people and families
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Children’s community nursing
Our specialist community children’s nurses provide care at home and in the community for children with long-term illness and disabilities who live in Camden and south Barnet. They look after children with diabetes, respiratory illness, cancer and blood disorders, providing a range of treatment including wound care, IV antibiotics and palliative care.
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Diabetes
The diabetes team includes a community diabetes nurse and a specialist dietician and they are supported by the child psychology service. The team provides monitoring and education for newly-diagnosed children as well as caring for children with established diabetes.
Our diabetes nurses visit children at home and provide extra support through regular telephone calls, education days and by training children on how to use devices. They even arrange fun days and an annual ski trip! There is a monthly transition clinic where teenagers are seen by the adult and paediatric teams at the same time so that they have a smooth handover to the adult diabetes service and learn to take on responsibility for managing their health.
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Endocrinology
We run an out-patient service for children with an endocrine diagnosis. This includes a monthly transition clinic with the adult endocrine team. The team works closely with the endocrine team at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
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Epilepsy
We have a seizure clinic for children who present with fits, faints and “funny turns”. The team also sees children with simpler conditions, and provides “shared care” with specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital for children with complex epilepsy.
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Gastroenterology
This is a tertiary service for children with gastrointestinal disorders (this means that all referrals need to be made by a consultant). The service includes:
- Paediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) service
- IBD adolescent and young adult clinic
- Multi-disciplinary feeding clinic
- Food-related allergic disease clinic
- General paediatric gastroenterology and upper gastrointestinal motility clinic
Breath tests, food challenges, combined pH/impedance studies and other specialist ambulatory gastrointestinal investigations are performed including, for example, the latest wireless capsule endoscopy.
Patient information leaflets on paediatric gastroenterology
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General paediatrics
We aim to see children within two weeks of receiving the referral. Children will be allocated to the first available general paediatric clinic unless sub-specialty care is essential at the first visit.
We also run a weekly general paediatric clinic at Edgware Community Hospital.
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HIV
We see children in families affected by HIV, support families through pregnancy and birth, and follow-up babies born to HIV positive mothers. Our team – which includes paediatricians, nurse specialists, psychologists, dieticians and specialist pharmacists – works closely with the Royal Free’s adult HIV service and with the specialist HIV children’s service at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
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Haematology
We have an associate specialist in paediatric haematology who provides a weekly clinic for common blood disorders.
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Infant follow-up
There are follow-up clinics for babies born at the Royal Free, many of whom will have been patients on the special care baby unit.
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Lipid clinic
We offer family clinics with the adult lipid team for children with Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH). FH is an autosomal dominant condition affecting 1 in 500 people with an estimated 110,000 people in UK being affected by it. Our diagnostic services offer family specific DNA mutation screen and cascade screening from index case. We offer counselling and annual structured reviews advised by NICE guidelines. We prioritise referrals with any of the following:
- Family history of early onset ( < 50 years) of heart diseases
- Elevated cholesterol and LDL levels
- Cascade screening from index case of FH.
Please feel free to e mail Dr Rahul Chodhari (R.Chodhari@nhs.net) if you need further information .
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Nephrology
Our children’s nephrology out-patient service includes a monthly transition clinic run with a children’s nephrology consultant and a consultant from the adult service. The consultant is able to offer an opinion on all kidney and urinary problems, and liaises with the nephrology and urology teams at Great Ormond Street Hospital as necessary. Our community nurses provide blood pressure monitoring at home.
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Neuro-developmental clinic
Children of any age about whom a health professional is concerned when carrying out routine developmental surveillance, or children who may have a neurological or learning problem, can be referred to the neuro-development clinic.
We provide a jointly run consultant paediatrician and physiotherapist clinic for children with:
- Global developmental delays
- Gait problems
- Cerebral palsy
- Neuromuscular disorder
- ADHD clinic
Unusually for a hospital, we are able to carry out paediatric and physiotherapy assessment at the same time.
If the problem is complex, GPs should use the common assessment framework (CAF) to make a referral to the service at Kentish Town Health Centre in Camden.
This service is for Camden residents only. Children with complex developmental problems who live in Barnet should be referred to the Barnet community child health team.
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Occupational therapy
The purpose of occupational therapy is to help the child achieve or maintain their maximum level of independence and to develop practical life skills so that the child can participate to his/her full potential in the home and classroom environment. This occurs in partnership with the child’s family or teacher within the child’s home or school community.
Detailed information on the paediatric occupational therapy service >>
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Phyiostherapy
Paediatric physiotherapy aims to optimise a child's function as they grow, irrespective of their physical condition. It takes into consideration the impact of growth and growth spurts on the child and uses this knowledge to treat each child accordingly.
Detailed information on the paediatric phyiostherapy service >>
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Social communication assessment service (SCAS)
This service is for children who maybe suffering from social communication problems such as autism. The team is based at Kentish Town Health Centre in Camden. To make a referral, GPs should use the clinical assessment framework and send this to Camden MOSAIC (the integrated service for disabled children). This service is for Camden residents only.
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Surgery
A visiting paediatric surgeon from Great Ormond Street Hospital provides a regular clinic and operating list at the Royal Free and visits our special care baby unit and children’s wards to assess children. Both day surgery and in-patient surgery are offered.
Read more about our range of paediatric surgery services.
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Tuberculosis (TB) clinic
We see children who have, or have been in close contact with, TB. The paediatrician is supported by the TB consultant from the adult service, and by TB specialist nurses who screen children who have been in contact with TB. The team has close links with the paediatric infectious diseases consultant at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
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