Community care of children with complex health needs

Children with complex health needs include children with disabilities, children with assisted technology and children with palliative care needs. Increasingly care for these children happens outside of hospital. Key issues are effective assessment without duplication and coordinated care involving multi-disciplinary and inter-agency teams. Joint commissioning, key working and integrated care pathways are important developments which, with a focus on listening to children and their families as they express their needs, are resulting in improved care. An understanding of the role of other practitioners and agencies is an essential component to good care for these children.