Transition and Young People
- About healthcare transition
- Preparing for transition
- Questions about your care
- Contact
- Useful websites and info
Transition is the process of preparing, planning and moving from children’s to adult services. Transition is a gradual process of change which gives everyone time to ensure that you and your family are prepared and feel ready to make the move to adult health care.
Some young people may be discharged to their GP rather than transfer to adult services. We may still complete transition documentation with you, to build your skills and knowledge to confidently manage your own healthcare and ensure you have the information you need before you are discharged to the care of your GP.
Young people with complex needs are likely to experience various transitions including education, therapies, community nursing and social care, as well as medical care.
You might hear your Healthcare professional refer to the term ‘transfer’ as well as transition. We use the word ‘transition’ to describe the process of planning and moving on from a children’s service to an adult service. Transition is a gradual process.
Transfer refers to the point your care is transferred to adult services or your GP.
The preparation process will start between the ages of 12-14 years old according to which service you are under and individual needs.
Discussions about the age you will transfer should start in your outpatient clinic appointments when you are around 14-years-old, so that you know what the future plan will be. You do not need to wait for those administering your healthcare to bring it up – we encourage you to ask the question too!
You will receive help whilst you are preparing for the transfer to adult services. Here’s some information about how your current service and healthcare professionals will do this.
If you are aged 16 or older, you have the right to see a healthcare professional alone. Until you are aged 16, your parents have a right to come to clinic with you. However, that does not mean that they have to spend the whole of the consultation in the room with you. In fact, we encourage that before you move to adult services, you enter the initial part of your clinic appointment on your own and we then invite your parent/carer in to recap afterwards. It is important that we prepare you and your family for your move from being a child patient to being an adult patient. At any appointment, you can have time on your own with the healthcare professional if you wanted to speak to them confidentially. See the helpful poster below for an explanation about what confidentiality and consent means.
Every young person will have a named person to help coordinate the transition process.
For some conditions, you will have the opportunity to meet the adult healthcare professional before your care is transferred.
There are a number of things you can ask your healthcare team about your transition.
- What is the plan for my transition?
- Will I be discharged to my GP or transferred to adult services?
- When am I moving to adult services?
- Can I choose which adult service I move to?
- What is different about the adult service?
- Can I meet the adult staff before I leave children’s services?
- Are there any young people I can talk to about moving to adult services?
- What do I need to know before I move to the adult service?
- When can I start getting more involved in my health care?
- How will my condition affect my future, such as my education and employment prospects?
If you have any questions about your transition from children’s to adult services, please contact:
Kelly Edie-Fisher
Transition Key Worker
Tel: 07773053702
Email: kelly.edie-fisher@nhs.net
This section provides useful links to information, support and services for young people. All organisations below have websites that provide more detailed information and contact details.