Allied Health

What is Allied Health

Allied Health at John Hunter Children's Hospital consists of eight professional departments, which include:

Audiology
Speech Therapy
Occupational Therapy
Physiotherapy
Psychology
Social Work
Nutrition and Dietetics
Art therapists, Music Therapists and Play Therapy

The departments work together with the medical and nursing teams across a diverse range of clinical areas to provide multidisciplinary care to children and families on an inpatient, outpatient and outreach basis. Tertiary specialty clinics service the Hunter New England Area Health Area, whereas general clinics cover greater Newcastle.

Allied health is also involved in the education of staff, other health professionals and the community. Allied health additionally takes part in research and the teaching and training of university students.

What services are provided by Allied Health?

Social Work

Social workers provide families with emotional support, information, advice and practical help when children come to hospital. Ask your nurse or doctor if you want to talk to a social worker.

Occupational Therapy (OT)

Occupational Therapy focuses on maximising participation and independence in everyday living skills. For children, this includes play, self-care, going to and participating in school, sport, leisure and learning skills. If a child is having difficulty in their daily occupations, i.e. self-care, school learning, play, etc. an OT can provide assessment and possible therapy, including management to address the difficulties presented.

Nutrition and Dietetics

Dieticians provide assessment and counselling for infants, children, adolescents and their families on general and specific nutritional concerns through an inpatient and outpatient basis. Specialty teams include diabetes/ endocrinology, oncology, neonatal, cystic fibrosis, food allergy, gastroenterology, home enteral nutrition and feeding difficulties related to medical conditions. General nutrition referrals include iron deficiency, failure to thrive and severe childhood obesity.

Speech Pathology

John Hunter Children's Hospital Speech Pathology department provides an inpatient service to paediatric wards at the Hospital, including general medical and surgical wards, oncology, adolescents, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and paediatric beds in the intensive care unit at John Hunter Hospital. Assessment and treatment of speech, language, and swallowing disorders is provided for acute and rehabilitation patients.

The Speech Pathology department also provides an outpatient service to the following specialised client groups:

Children 0-18 years from northern NSW presenting with cleft lip / palate and velopharyngeal disorders. This is tertiary referral consultative service
Children with complex dysphagia requiring specialist consultative and therapeutic services. May include multidisciplinary feeding clinics or individual treatment.
Children with acquired neurological problems, including acquired brain injury (ABI)

A Modified Barium Swallow (MBS) service is provided by the Speech Pathology Department in conjunction with the Radiology Department. A palato-videofluoroscopy (PVF) procedure is also offered to children with velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI). This is a specialist diagnostic procedure conducted in conjunction with the Paediatric Radiologist.

Physiotherapy

Paediatric Physiotherapists specialise in the treatment of respiratory, orthopaedic and neurological disorders of infancy and childhood. We also treat children with developmental delay and disability. We will accept children aged from birth to 18 years.

Referral to the Paediatric Physiotherapy department at John Hunter Children's Hospital can be made by a:

Child health Nurse
GP
Specialist doctor such as Paediatrician or Paediatric Specialist
Other health professional such as Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist

Psychology

The Psychology Department provides a multidisciplinary assessment / diagnostic service for children with specific learning difficulties, covering neuropsychology, speech pathology, occupational therapy and medical problems. Assessments aim to identify specific reasons for delays in learning and recommend appropriate intervention programs and strategies.

Clients can be referred by a school counsellor accompanied by a referral questionnaire that must be completed in full. Other referrers should check whether school-based assessment options have been exhausted prior to referral.

Clients must be attending school or an approved alternative and they must be functioning normally in most areas except specific areas of schooling such as reading, maths or writing. Where the main concern relates to behaviour or attention, consider referral to Child & Family Health Team or CAMHS.

Neuropsychological assessment for children and adolescents

Assessments cover memory, attention, executive function, verbal and non-verbal abilities, behaviour and emotional adjustment where there is acquired brain injury or effects on cognitive function, behaviour or schoolwork due to medical conditions or their treatment. Assessments are designed to assist in understanding the child's strengths and weaknesses and in managing and rehabilitating areas of weakness.

Audiology

Audiology services at John Hunter Children's Hospital comprise of:

Electro physiological diagnostic audiology. This is a specialised service for:
The investigation of newborn infants referred from the SWISH (Statewide Infant Screening – Hearing) hearing screening programme.
The evaluation of the hearing status of the difficult to test child. Referral is restricted to either the SWIS-H programme or paediatric specialist.
Young Child to Adult Audiology at John Hunter Hospital for children 3 years and over with significant concerns. This is not a screening service. For more information please phone (02)49 213550
Child & Family Nursing provides hearing testing at a number of sites for children. Please contact (02)49 246300 or (02)49 246400 for further details.

Music, Art and Play therapy

Music therapy is the planned and creative use of music in order to address a child's physical, cognitive and psychosocial needs. Methods include song writing, singing, instrumental playing, improvisation, music assisted imagery and relaxation, receptive music therapy, diversion, music and movement and music software.

How do I make an appointment?

Referrals for allied health require a referral from a health professional involved in your child's care. This includes GP's, Paediatricians, early childhood nurses and other allied health professionals and specialty teams. Specialist referrals from the hospital will receive priority.