Children's Community Nursing Team

The Children’s Community Nursing Team is made up of a variety of healthcare professionals. The team ensure that they provide high quality and safe care enabling children and young people to remain in their home environment whilst still getting the care they need.

The team consists of:

Community Children’s Nursing Team Leader

Qualified nurse who oversees the management and delivery of the service.

Community Children’s Nurse

Qualified nurses who deliver nursing care within the community setting. Some nurses may prescribe a limited range of medicines.

Specialist Care Coordinator (formerly known as continuing healthcare coordinator)

Qualified nurses who coordinate the care provision for children with long term, multiple and complex health needs.

Healthcare Support Worker

Specially trained healthcare support workers who deliver care in various locations, supporting both children and young adults, and their families, to be cared for in their home environment. The healthcare support workers provide support to the Community Children’s Nursing Team and liaise with the hospital to ensure that specialist care can be provided within the community.

Special School Nurse

Qualified nurses who provide specialist nursing care to children and young people with complex health needs, to ensure that they can successfully access education.

Specialist Nurses

We have specialist children's nurses for asthma, diabetes and epilepsy. 

Children and young people are seen by our team if they are registered with a Rotherham General Practitioner (GP).

Rapid Response Team

For children and young people who have recently been or are still acutely unwell who no longer need to be in hospital but require further support to ensure they are safely cared for in the community.

Complex Care Nursing Team

Provide respite care in the community for children and young people with complex health needs, and their families. This care is provided by the healthcare support workers supervised by qualified nursing staff. If you would like to find out if your child is eligible for this service, more information is available on Rotherham’s Local Offer website. 

Special Education Nurses

Qualified nurses who provide specialist nursing care to a variety of children and young people with complex health needs to ensure that they can successfully access education.

The special education nurses aim to make sure that children and young people with health needs can get the most out of life and their time in school. They will provide help to plan care, assess and review children’s needs, provide information for education staff and work with parents. They work closely with schools, special schools in particular, providing care plans when needed and training for school staff. 

Specialist Nurses

Children and young people who have epilepsy, diabetes or asthma may be seen by the specialist nurses.

If your child is in immediate danger, please call 999.

If you are already under the care of the Community Children’s Nursing Team, please contact the Community Children’s Nursing Team via the Care Coordination Centre on 01709 426600.

The Children’s Asthma Nursing Service is based at Rotherham Hospital and provides support to children with asthma and their families.

Asthma can affect many aspects of a child’s life. The asthma nursing service works with the child, their family and the rest of the team to try to minimise the disruption asthma can cause.

We also provide support with medication and educate children and their families on what they can do to manage the condition themselves.

The asthma nurse will see children and their families to help with the following issues:

• investigations into asthma
• a new diagnosis of asthma
• education around asthma for families / childminders / respite centres / schools
• medication issues and management
• first aid education
• telephone support
• clinic appointments

Information about other aspects of asthma can also be discussed with the asthma nurse.

A paediatrician (children's doctor) would usually make the referral to the asthma service. Referrals to the paediatrician would usually come from your GP or via the Urgent and Emergency Care Centre (A&E) if your child requires urgent care. Your GP may refer your child to the asthma nurse if they require extra support.

How we deliver care

Children with asthma require specialist care and their medication needs regular monitoring. The overall care of children with asthma in Rotherham is managed by consultant paediatricians (children’s doctors). This is usually via clinic appointments.

In between these appointments, the asthma nurse can provide support on a day to day basis. We help families with certain issues such as making the most of school, staying safe and enjoying leisure activities.

Children who have recently been diagnosed with asthma are offered support and help with regulating medication. This can help to prevent hospital attendances. This is often via the telephone support service.

Children and young people with a diagnosis of diabetes need coordinated care and regular follow ups. This helps to make sure that they stay well and can live their lives fully. We work in partnership with children, young people and their families to find the best way to manage their diabetes, taking into account the best possible research evidence and national guidelines. 

The Children’s Epilepsy Nursing Service is based at Rotherham Hospital and provides support to children with epilepsy as well as their families.

Epilepsy can affect many aspects of a child’s life. Our nurses work with the child, their family and the rest of the team to try to minimise the disruption epilepsy can cause.

We also provide support with medication and educate children and their families on what they can do to manage the condition themselves.

The epilepsy nurse will see children and their families to help with the following issues:

• investigations into epilepsy
• a new diagnosis of epilepsy
• education around epilepsy for: families / childminders / respite centres
• medication issues and management
• first aid education
• telephone support
• clinic appointments

A paediatrician (children's doctor) would usually make the referral to the epilepsy service. Referrals to the paediatrician would usually come from your GP or via the Urgent and Emergency Care Centre (A&E) if your child requires urgent care.

How we deliver care

Children with epilepsy require specialist care and their medication needs regular monitoring. The overall care of children with epilepsy in Rotherham is managed by consultant paediatricians (children’s doctors). This is usually via clinic appointments.

In between these appointments, the epilepsy nurse can provide support on a day to day basis to help families with certain issues such as making the most of school, staying safe and enjoying leisure activities.

The epilepsy nurse can help with ‘fine tuning’ medication to try to avoid hospital attendances. This is often via the telephone support service.

If you are concerned about your child

If your child is in immediate danger, please call 999. 

If the concern is less urgent then please contact the epilepsy nursing service on 07899 967864. 

Please be aware that this is not a 24hr service and the answerphone message will say when the epilepsy nurse is available.

If the epilepsy nurse is not available but you need some advice quickly, then please contact your consultant paediatrician via the hospital switchboard on 01709 820000.