Prestige Nursing & Care provides specialist paediatric care at home for babies, children and young people who require ongoing clinical or complex support. Our nurse-led care packages are built around each child and their family. From complex clinical interventions to everyday routines, education and social activities, our aim is to provide safe, consistent care while helping every child experience as much of childhood as possible.
What is paediatric care at home?
Paediatric care at home provides specialist support for babies, children and young people who need ongoing healthcare outside a hospital setting.
Depending on the child, this may combine clinical interventions with personal care, mobility support, medication, feeding, communication assistance and help with everyday activities.
Care is overseen by experienced registered nurses and delivered by carers who are selected, trained and assessed according to the child’s individual requirements.
NHS England recognises home, education and community settings as appropriate places for children and young people to receive certain specialist nursing and clinical interventions, helping care remain as close to home as possible.
Who may need paediatric complex care?
Children may require specialist care at home because of conditions or circumstances including:
- Cerebral palsy
- Muscular dystrophy and neuromuscular conditions
- Spina bifida
- Acquired or traumatic brain injury
- Spinal injury
- Epilepsy and seizure disorders
- Respiratory conditions
- Complex physical disabilities
- Congenital or genetic conditions
- Premature birth and associated health needs
- Life-limiting or progressive conditions
- Complex needs following serious illness, surgery or injury
Care is determined by the individual child’s needs rather than diagnosis alone. Some children require help with one aspect of their care, while others may need complex clinical support throughout the day and night.
Family-centred, nurse-led paediatric care
A child’s complex health needs may affect the whole family. Parents may be providing substantial care while balancing work, siblings, appointments and everyday life.
We take time to understand not only a child’s clinical needs, but also their personality, routines, communication, interests and relationships. Parents and those closest to the child play an important role in this process, bringing detailed knowledge of how their child communicates, what makes them comfortable and the early signs that something may be changing.
Our paediatric complex care service is supported by experienced registered nurses, including nurses with children’s nursing expertise within our wider clinical structure.
A registered nurse can assess clinical requirements, develop the appropriate elements of the care plan and oversee the training and competency of the carers supporting the child.
Clinical support we can provide at home
Every care package is different. Following assessment, support may include:
Bringing a child home from hospital
For some families, paediatric complex care begins with the goal of bringing their child home.
A baby or child leaving hospital may still require ventilation, enteral feeding, tracheostomy care, medication or other specialist interventions. Before discharge, an appropriate home care package needs to be carefully planned.
Our nurses and care teams can work alongside hospital teams, community children’s nurses, commissioners, therapists and families to:
- Assess clinical and personal care needs
- Recruit suitable carers
- Deliver child-specific training
- Complete competency assessments
- Develop care and escalation plans
- Coordinate with professionals involved in discharge
- Prepare the support required once the child arrives home
Born prematurely and requiring 24-hour ventilation through a tracheostomy, Jake was supported by a trained Prestige care team working alongside hospital and multidisciplinary professionals before his discharge home.
Case study
Enabling discharge from hospital for Jake, with high-quality paediatric care
Enabling discharge from hospital for Jake, with high-quality paediatric care
Jake is a baby with complex medical needs. He was born prematurely and had been in hospital since birth. He requires ventilation with oxygen via tracheostomy 24-hours a day.
Whilst Jake’s parents had received training to meet his needs, they could not provide the 24-hour care that Jake required. His dad had to return to work and his mum was expecting their second child. Both parents were extremely keen to get Jake home and into a routine before the arrival of the new baby.
Respite and support for the whole family
Caring for a child with complex health needs can involve significant responsibility around the clock.
Professional paediatric care can give parents and family carers time to rest, work, spend time with other children or simply step away from caring responsibilities for a period while appropriate support remains in place.
Respite can form part of an ongoing package or, depending on circumstances, be provided temporarily. Parents can remain as involved as they wish while receiving additional support when they need it.
Jessica’s story demonstrates how highly skilled care can support both a child’s clinical needs and their quality of life, helping Jessica enjoy outings and activities while giving her parents opportunities to spend time away together.
Case study
Supporting Jessica with paediatric care at home
Jessica has highly complex health needs which require constant intervention from highly skilled carers.
Jessica’s nursing care needs increased after her tracheostomy and she was prone to seizures, so her parents were exhausted. They needed trusted and reliable nursing care to brighten up her life. Jessica is very sociable with a good sense of humour. As her condition is life-limiting, it is vital to her parents that Jessica’s life is full of good memories and experiences.
Personalised assessment and care planning
Before paediatric complex care begins, we complete a detailed assessment, which may take place at home, in hospital or another specialist setting.
This considers clinical interventions, medication, mobility, communication, nutrition, hydration, personal care and relevant risks. Just as importantly, it captures the child’s routines, preferences, communication style, relationships, education, hobbies and the goals the child and family would like care to support.
A personalised care plan can then set out how support should be delivered, what carers need to know and what actions should be taken if the child’s health changes.
Carers selected for the package receive training relevant to that particular child. Where specialist clinical interventions are required, this can include practical training and competency assessment from registered nurses, clinical specialists and other healthcare professionals.
Care plans and training can be reviewed as the child grows or their needs change.
Safeguarding and multidisciplinary working
The safety and welfare of every child remain central to paediatric care.
Our carers and clinical teams have safeguarding responsibilities and are expected to recognise and respond appropriately to concerns. Children and young people should also be involved in decisions about their care wherever appropriate to their age, communication and understanding.
Children with complex needs often have a wider multidisciplinary team that may include paediatricians, community children’s nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, dietitians, respiratory specialists, education professionals, social workers, case managers and commissioners.
Our care teams can work alongside these professionals so that day-to-day support reflects the child’s wider care and treatment plans.
Flexible paediatric care at home
Care can be structured around the individual child’s needs and family circumstances, including:
- Visiting care
Planned support with particular routines, clinical interventions or activities.
- Extended or 24-hour care
Longer periods of support for children with substantial or continuous needs, delivered by an appropriate team of trained carers.
- Respite care
Planned or temporary support when parents or family carers need a break or usual arrangements change.
The appropriate level of care is determined following individual assessment.
Why choose Prestige Nursing & Care for paediatric care?
Prestige Nursing & Care has provided homecare across England and Scotland for over 80 years. When working with us, you can expect:
- Fully managed care
We provide a fully managed homecare service, giving clients and families ongoing support from experienced local care and clinical teams rather than leaving them to manage the care arrangement themselves.
- Nurse-led clinical support
Our registered nurses provide clinical oversight, assessment, care planning, competency assessment and ongoing support for carers delivering specialist care at home.
- Care tailored around you
Your care plan is built around your health needs, routines, preferences and personal goals rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.
- Trained and supported carers
Carers delivering specialist clinical care receive appropriate training and ongoing support, helping them provide care safely and confidently.
- Responsive local care teams
With local teams across England and Scotland, we can work with families and healthcare professionals to arrange appropriate support and respond as care needs change.
Funding and cost of paediatric complex care
Funding arrangements depend on the child’s circumstances and where they live.
In England, Children and Young People’s Continuing Care provides a framework for assessing children and young people aged 0 to 17 whose complex health needs cannot be met through existing universal or specialist services alone. This is separate from NHS Continuing Healthcare for adults.
Children eligible for continuing care also have a right to have a personal health budget. Other NHS, local-authority, social-care or privately funded arrangements may apply.
There is no standard cost for complex paediatric care because every package is different. Costs may depend on the number of care hours, overnight or 24-hour support, clinical complexity, whether more than one carer is required and specialist training needs.
Following assessment, we can recommend an appropriate package and explain the associated costs.
Arranging paediatric care at home
Getting started begins with a conversation.
Contact your local Prestige Nursing & Care team and tell us a little about the support you are looking for. We can explain the options available and discuss the next steps for assessing your child’s individual care needs.
From there, we can develop a care arrangement based around their routines, priorities and the level of assistance they require.