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Orchard Service (South)

  • Orchard Service is a Children’s Community Nursing and Palliative Care Team. We are a multi-disciplinary team who provide holistic care to patients with a nursing need, this may be an acute illness or a long term complex health need. To access the service the child/young person must be registered with a Worcestershire GP. South Worcestershire team (Worcester, Malvern, Pershore, Evesham, Droitwich)

  • Service Contact: WHCNHS.CCNWorcester@nhs.net
  • Address: First Floor,  Kings Court 1,  Kings Court Business Park,  Charles Hasting Way, Worcester, WR5 1JR
  • Reception hours: 9:00am – 8:00pm
  • Reception phone number: 01905 681590 mobile - 07808735654

The Nursing Team

The Community Children’s Nursing (CCN) team provides nursing care and psychosocial support at home to babies, children and young people, who have acute or long term complex health care needs, including those with life limiting/threatening conditions.

The service aims to respect children’s individual needs, whilst recognising spiritual, social and cultural preferences, through offering choices and individualised holistic care planning.

One of the aims of the service is to prevent unnecessary admission to hospital and promote early discharge.

The care needs are assessed in partnership with children, young people and their families, so that the individual needs are agreed in the plan of on-going care. Care can be provided from diagnosis or when symptoms become problematic.

This team works closely with GPs, children’s hospital wards, Paediatricians, Health Visitors and School Health Nurses. The team will discuss with you the need for and communication with other services, to ensure that all your child’s needs are met.

How can we help?

  • Assess and discuss your child’s plan of care with you
  • Manage your child’s symptoms
  • Provide treatment to your child
  • Give you the information you need to enable you to care for your child at home
  • Tell you who to contact if you are concerned about your child’s condition
  • Enable your child to be admitted direct to hospital if it is necessary
  • Help with transition from child to adult services
  • Provide formal and informal education and training
  • Support your child from diagnosis
  • Provide care to children approaching end of life
  • Provide support at times of loss and bereavement
  • Support research to benefit children and young people

Referrals

Referrals are accepted from a variety of sources, including acute hospital settings, community Paediatrics, & the wider multi-disciplinary team.

Support for Families Team

The Support for Families Team (SFT) is part of the Community Children’s Nursing Team (Orchard Service), of whom we work closely.  

The SFT provides emotional, psychological and social support as well as practical advice for the whole family in their own home or local community. We can work with family members at any stage from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond. We also offer pre and post bereavement support.

Our aim is to provide focused support working on what you feel is important at the time. 

In order to accept a referral to SFT, the child or young person must have a nursing need and be seen by our Community Childrens Nursing Team.

We know that when your child is diagnosed with a long term, complex or life limiting/threatening condition it can cause huge changes for the whole family. We offer the following support;

  • One to one listening and emotional support
  • Practical advice and signposting to information about benefits, financial and housing queries
  • Information on illnesses, treatments and procedures in child-friendly, developmentally appropriate ways
  • An opportunity for the whole family to explore, express and make sense of their thoughts and feelings about the child’s condition
  • Support and advice around the often typical feelings of low mood, stress, anger or anxiety
  • Support with thinking about self-esteem and identity
  • Help with adapting and adjusting to changes including changes in roles and parenting challenges
  • Pre and post bereavement support

The Home Support Team

Children and young people who have health care needs that cannot be met by universal and specialist services alone may be entitled to a bespoke package of care.

Worcester Health and Care NHS Trust provide packages of care to children and young people following assessment and agreement by local commissioners. The Home Support Team are responsible for providing these packages of care. The team is made up of Health Care Support Workers and Trained Children’s Nurses. They work very closely with the Community Children's Nursing Teams.

View the National Framework for Children and Young People's Continuing Care

Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)

All children should have access to the right services, at the right time, to make sure they can reach their full potential. We work together with other agencies to ensure that the right professionals are involved at the right time to meet the needs of you and your child. Find out more about how we support children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) 

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Who do you work with?

We work with the families of any child/young person seen by the Orchard Service for a long term or complex health condition. Parents can have time for themselves and young people can be seen without their parents if this is what they prefer.  We can also work with siblings of the child when the issue is related to the child’s health condition.

Are our discussions confidential?

We need to tell the doctor/GP and the Orchard Service Nursing Team that we are seeing you or your child but the details of what is discussed can be confidential within the Support for Families Team. It can be helpful to let key professionals know we are working with you and it can be useful to think together about what information might be good to share, e.g. the main aims of our work together. You can discuss with us if there are things you would prefer not to be shared. We have a responsibility to share information with the relevant agency if we are worried someone is at risk of harm.  

How do you work?

At the first meeting, we like to ask questions relating to the whole family, find out what you would like help with and agree a plan together with you about how best to meet your goals. We would consider if we are the best people to help or whether there is a more appropriate service. The first appointment usually takes about an hour. You may meet us for a single session, a series of appointments, or we can talk with you over the telephone. Together we can spend time working on the best way forward for your circumstances.

Where can we meet?

We can come to your home or we can sometimes meet young people in their school. We can also sometimes arrange to meet in local community centres e.g. children’s centres or GP practices if that feels most appropriate

How can I make a charitable donation? 

Through charitable donations, the Orchard Service in Worcestershire is able to provide additional equipment and support resources for sick children who are cared for at home. To help us optimise and enhance quality of care the Orchard Service has a charitable trust fund, and we would appreciate any contributions, either as a direct donation or through fundraising. The money is used in a variety of ways, for example comfort products, support groups and family events. Beautiful memory boxes are bought and given to parents and siblings to keep special mementos in.

Information for professionals

Please email the Orchard Service Acute Referral Form by email to: 

South worcestershire whcnhs.ccnworcester@nhs.net

North worcestershire whcnhs.ccnredditch@nhs.net