A new model of care offering proactive and holistic support to help children with conditions like asthma and constipation, and mental health and social issues, has been rolled out by The Children and Young People’s Health Partnership hosted by Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

Working with partners in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), including schools and the council, they identify patients needing extra support and invite them to an online portal where they fill in a questionnaire and are offered a variety of help and ongoing support in familiar places such as their GP surgery or school.

Delivered by the specialist children and young people’s team, this includes support to keep healthy and prevent disease. The team refer families to medical services or council support when needed for issues such as housing or food instability. This might include appointments with a paediatrician, involvement of a community nurse, or family therapy.

The work found that 40% of children in the community with asthma have uncontrolled symptoms, 20% have anxiety/depression,10% to 20% of their parents have mental ill health, housing instability and food insecurity. By bringing together partners, including health, housing, council and the voluntary sector, they are prioritising proactive children’s health through the model/framework CHILDS (child health integrated learning delivery system).

60% of cases have clinically measurable improvements in symptoms and health after using the service. In asthma patients alone almost half of users avoid attending the emergency department or having a non-elected admission.

• Spotlight on The Children and Young People’s Health Partnership, Evelina London
• Stopping asthma attacks before they start. Hosted by Evelina London, The Children and Young People’s Health Partnership (CYPHP) is an alliance of health professionals bringing care out of hospitals and into the community to intervene early and prevent long-term disease: www.evelinalondon.nhs.uk