Paediatric Community Nursing Team
Summary
The Paediatric Community Nursing Team (PCN Team) provides clinical nursing care for children that have complex and ongoing health needs in the community. The team cares for children between the ages of 0 – 16 years who would need to return to hospital or their GP for their healthcare needs and young people, including palliative care and end of life symptom management.
Service Information
The service is managed and delivered by nursing staff who have a registered sick children’s qualification and who have received additional and ongoing training specifically to care for sick and unwell children.
The service operates in partnership with the child and their family to promote hospital avoidance, unnecessary hospital admission and facilitation of early discharge. This is encouraged by teaching and supporting children and their families to manage their conditions at home.
Where the service is based
Children are predominantly visited within their own homes but may be seen at Southend Hospital children’s ward, children’s centres and schools or nurseries.
The service has an administrator based at The Old Pharmacy at Rochford Hospital.
How to contact the service
Monday to Friday including bank holidays - 07:00-23:00
The administration telephone line is staffed from 9:00-15:00 Monday to Friday, with 24-hour voicemail facility.
Outside of these hours the service operates an on-call system seven days a week, 365 days a year for urgent enquiries.
Paediatric Community Nursing Team Administration Assistant: 01702 372076
On call mobile: 07966 792396
Paediatric Community Nursing Team Service email: epunft.paediatriccommunity-nursingteam@nhs.net
Referral Information
Please ask for a referral from one of the following:
- multidisciplinary team
- health professionals providing care to the child, including consultants, clinical nurse specialists, GP's and health visitors
Referrals are also accepted from families who have previously been seen by a PCN and discharged.
Referral criteria
Referrals are accepted for children and young people who:
- have a clinical health need requiring nursing support/intervention
- under 16 years of age or under 19 years with a complex disabilities and remains under the care of a consultant paediatrician
- child lives within South East Essex and registered with a South East Essex GP
- the child attends school within South East Essex but lives out of area (provision dependant on need, liaison, medical responsibility)
The child is resident within South East Essex for short periods: shared parental responsibility, on vacation (provision dependant on need, liaison, and medical responsibility.