Children’s health Archives | Page 10 of 12

29 July 2022

The Paediatric Ambulatory Care Service (PACS) at Fairfield Hospital provides specialist medical and nursing services to children who reside in the Fairfield Local Government Area.

The service is available seven days a week for patients requiring nursing care in the home.

PACS outpatient and medical review services are available Monday to Friday.

PACS hours:

Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm

Saturday and Sunday, 9.30am to 4pm (nursing services only)

PACS goals

Hospital avoidance where clinically appropriate
Improve networking between health facilities, GPs and the community
Promote a continuum of care for clients from hospital admission to the home and back again if required
Provide a service to appropriate acute care patients outside of the hospital environment

PACS services (not exhaustive)

Administration of intravenous antibiotics daily or BD only
Administration of injections
Cannulation
Management of central venous access devices
Blood transfusions and blood product support
Replacement of nasogastric and gastrostomy tubes
Intravenous drug infusion (eg Methylprednisone, iron)
Medical/nursing reviews of clients’ progress and liaison with GPs and/or VMO paediatrician
Speciality clinics including burns, eczema, enteral feeding, infant/neonatal review
Clinical education at home, schools, preschools. (eg asthma, epilepsy, enteral feeding)
Wound management
Contact PACS to discuss any other conditions requiring acute care services in the community/outpatient setting

Contact

9616 8398

28 July 2022

All inpatient maternity services are now located in Campbelltown Hospital’s Clinical Building (Building A).

Information about accessing the services can be found below.

Birthing Unit A41

Please call prior to arrival on 4634 4099

Between 6am–9pm enter via the main entrance of the building (Level 2), enter the lifts to your left and proceed to Level 4.

The entry to the Birthing unit is near the lifts, use the intercom button 2 to speak with staff for entry.

From 9pm–6am enter via Emergency Department entrance, and you will be escorted to Birthing Unit.

There is limited parking in P1 (outside emergency), otherwise parking P2 or P3 for access to the clinical building.

Antenatal Ward A42

Enter the main entrance of the building (Level 2), enter the lifts to your left and proceed to Level 4.

The entry to the Antenatal ward is near the lifts, use the intercom button 1 to speak with staff for entry.

Visiting Hours: 8am–8pm

Postnatal Ward A52

Enter the main entrance of the building (Level 2), enter the lifts to your left and proceed to Level 5.

The entry to the Postnatal Ward is near the lifts, use the intercom button 1 to speak with staff for entry.

Visiting Hours: 8am–8pm

Special Care Nursery A51

Enter the main entrance of the building (Level 2) enter the lifts to your left and proceed to Level 5.

The entry to the Special Care Nursery is near the lifts, use the intercom button 2 to speak with staff for entry.

Perioperative Unit

For planned Caesarean admissions.

Enter via the main entrance. Walk straight ahead towards the stairs, enter the lifts to the left of the stairs and go down to Ground level. Exit the lift and turn right.

If you are bringing frozen breastmilk, please go to Postnatal first to store it in the freezer.

Download the flyer

22 July 2022

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experience some of the highest rates of Otitis Media and associated hearing loss in the world. Stronger Seeds Taller Trees logo

Left untreated, these conditions are directly linked to serious and long-term deficits. These include poor medical health, delayed communication and social skill development, challenging behaviour, and learning difficulties.

Regular ear checks, hearing assessments and onward referrals to ENTs are crucial in supporting positive outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children with Otitis Media.

Information for families about Otitis Media:

Deadly Ears Program

Middle ear disease

Children’s Health Queensland

Empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families to connect with health and community services is another important part of supporting their children’s health and wellbeing.

Aboriginal Health Services:

South Western Sydney Local Health District Aboriginal Health Service Directory

AH-ServiceDirectory.pdf (nsw.gov.au)

Macarthur Family & Youth Services

NABU – Macarthur Family & Youth Services (mfys.org.au)

Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation – Airds

Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation | (tacams.com.au)

Gandangara Aboriginal Health Services – Liverpool

Health Services | Gandangara

KARI Aboriginal Community Programs – Liverpool

Community Programs | KARI

21 June 2022

Fussy eating can lead to stressful and prolonged mealtimes, delayed oro-motor skills, and poor health outcomes including nutrient deficiencies (eg iron), slow growth and constipation.

Early intervention is required when fussy eating is caused by sensory sensitivities with food textures, or when it leads to highly restricted diets (less than 15 to 20 different foods) or

Stronger Seeds Taller Trees logo final_210705

challenging behaviours at mealtimes.

Mealtime Strategies

1) Set up routines – serve food at the same time and in the same place each day.

2) Create an engaging mealtime environment – remove distractions (eg screens, toys) and share meals together as a family to model positive mealtime behaviours like trying new foods.

3) Encourage food exploration and play – participate together in food preparation and play games with food like sorting by colour or texture, or building houses.

Start Them Right: A parent’s guide to eating for under 5s

Is your child a fussy eater? Parent handout

31 May 2022

Registrations are now open for Go4Fun’s Term 3 program.

What is Go4Fun?

Go4Fun is a free program for children aged seven to 13 who are above a healthy weight, and their families. Trained health and community professionals like dietitians and exercise physiologists run the program which is a fun way to build self-esteem and learn about eating well, staying active and living a healthy life.

Go4Fun takes place during school terms, usually after school. Sessions run once a week for two hours, during a 10-week period. A parent or carer must come to every session.

Find out more about what’s involved

Aboriginal Go4Fun

Aboriginal Go4Fun was developed in partnership with Aboriginal communities and is delivered by local Aboriginal organisations together with NSW Health. The program encourages the whole community to join in.

Aboriginal Go4Fun includes:

Aboriginal support staff
Traditional Indigenous games
Tailored resources

Find out more about Aboriginal Go4Fun

Go4Fun online

Go4Fun Online is perfect for families that can’t make it to our face-to-face program, but still want to make health changes to their lifestyle.

Go4Fun Online runs over 10 weeks and includes:

Weekly online activity sessions
Weekly phone coaching with a health professional
Resources and prizes
Our online community where you can chat to other families in the program
Email and text message support

Find out more about Go4Fun online

Find a session

The program is held at the following locations:

Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation, Airds (Aboriginal Go4Fun) – Tuesdays, 4pm to 6pm
KARI – Liverpool PCYC (Aboriginal Go4Fun) – Mondays, 4pm to 6pm
South West
Liverpool PCYC – Saturdays, 1pm to 3pm
Prairiewood Youth and Community Centre – Tuesdays, 4pm to 6pm
Yagoona Community Centre – Thursdays, 4pm to 6pm
Macarthur
Eagle Vale Leisure Centre – Monday, 4.30pm to 6.30pm (pool)
Mount Annan YMCA – Saturday, 1pm to 3pm (pool)
Minto PCYC – Wednesday, 4.30pm to 6.30pm

11 May 2022

Some children have difficulty processing and responding to information from their senses. This includes sight, sound, taste, touch, smell, proprioception (body awareness) and vestibular (movement) input.

Signs of sensitivities:

Seeking sensations (touching, smelling or licking textures, closely watching moving objects, difficulty sitting still)
Reacting to sensations (becoming upset when touched, easily distracted by noise/light, picky with food textures and smells)
Under responding to sensations (appearing to ‘tune out’, low response to sound/touch, poor pain perception)

Sensory seeking versus sensory sensitive

When to refer:

Refer to an Occupational Therapist when a child’s sensory sensitivities interfere with everyday routines or engagement in learning. Early referral is key to improving functional, social and academic outcomes.

Where and how to refer

Further information about sensory sensitivities

Making sense of your child’s senses – handout

21 April 2022

Transition to school has an impact on a child’s educational trajectory. A successful transition to school requires more than academic skills. It requires social, emotional, communication and motor skills. GPs have a role in partnering with schools and supporting families to:

Find early learning opportunities like playgroup and preschool (Starting Blocks)
Access supports if there are concerns about their child’s development (Where and how to refer)
Delay school start if a child is not ready (children in NSW should start school by the year they turn six)
Enrol and attend Kindergarten orientation (NSW Department of Education Parents and Carers Hub)
Communicate with their school if additional supports are required (Enrolling and starting primary school: children with disability)
Ensure their child is ready (Starting School: preparing children)

Did you find this article helpful?

YES / NO

Further links:

Children with disability have the right to go to school alongside their peers: Reimagine Australia Ready, Set, School!
Starting School (NSW Department of Education)
PlaygroupsNSW
Find your local school
Transition to School Resource
Crunch and Sip
Conversations for Collaboration
Transition to School Parent Handout

10 March 2022

Gross motor skills are foundational skills required for play, self-care and academic tasks. Gross motor difficulties may result in uncoordinated movements, clumsiness, and poor balance, strength or posture.

When to refer

Refer to a physiotherapist when a child is not achieving age-appropriate motor milestones or has difficulty with physical activities. Early referral is key in reducing risks of poor functional, social and academic outcomes. Where and how to refer

Encourage parents to:

Avoid baby walkers
Reduce screen time
Prioritise floor tummy time for infants
Promote outdoor play for all ages

Resources by age

28 February 2022

Stronger Seeds Taller Trees logo final_210705

It can be difficult to know when a child’s behaviour is a typical developmental stage or whether further intervention is needed. Families need support if their child’s behaviour is impacting on family functioning, the child’s engagement in daily tasks and learning environments, or if there are safety concerns.

Examples of challenging behaviour:

Defiance/ refusing age appropriate requests
Overly fussy
Hurting self/ others
Excessively angry when refused their wishes
Ongoing tantrums

Some behaviours of concern may be due to an undiagnosed developmental delay (for example, social, emotional, communication), disability or trauma.

Where to refer?

Psychologist or family therapist
Parent Child Interaction Therapist (PCIT)
Parenting education program such as Circle of Security or Tuning in to Kids

Resources

Where to refer

PCIT website

EACH referral

Resourcing Parents website

Parent handout

28 January 2022

Vaccinating children

In Australia, immunisation coverage rates for children are high.

More than 90 per cent of children are fully immunised at one, two and five years of age. This high rate of immunisation helps to maintain herd immunity, especially for those who are too young to be immunised or those who are not able to be immunised for medical reasons.

Children under five are especially susceptible to disease because their immune systems have not built up the necessary defences to fight infection. By fully immunising on time, you can protect your child from disease and also protect other children at school or day care.

Children get so many immunisations because new vaccines against serious infections continue to be developed. The number of injections is also being reduced by the use of combination vaccines, where several vaccines are combined into one injection.

Tracking a child’s immunisation record

The immunisation history statement helps parents and doctors keep a child’s vaccinations on schedule.

An immunisation record starts when a child receives their first vaccination and is updated with each vaccination visit. Parents can keep track of their child’s immunisation statement by requesting an Australian Immunisation Record (AIR) statement in the following ways:

Online – through MyGov once an account has been created
Medicare Express Plus App – once a MyGov account has been created
Over the counter – at a Medicare Service Centre
Phone – call AIR on 1800 653 809

Immunisation History Statements are necessary for childcare and school enrolment, employment at certain workplaces and are currently used by Medicare and Centrelink to determine eligibility for some family assistance payments.

Save the Date to Vaccinate

Vaccines provide the best protection if they are given on time. Stay up-to-date with your child’s vaccinations.

Download the Save the Date to Vaccinate app, set up a family profile and the app will create recommended immunisation schedules, along with handy reminders for when vaccines are due.

Download NSW Health’s Save the Date to Vaccinate app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Find out more about the Save the Date to Vaccinate app

Vaccinating adolescents

NSW Health works in partnership with schools to offer the vaccines recommended for adolescents by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in a school-based vaccination program.
Parent information kits are sent home to parents early in the school year. To consent to vaccination, parents are advised to read all the information provided, complete and sign the consent form and return it to their child’s school.

NSW School Vaccination Program 2021

Intensive English Centres (IECs)

Newly arrived migrants (including refugees) attending Intensive English Centres (IECs) are offered vaccines based on student age. Speak to a GP or other healthcare provider for more information.
Information about the vaccinations is also available in 26 community languages.

Distance education/home-schooled students

Students who are enrolled in distance education or who are home-schooled are advised to attend their GP or other immunisation provider for free age-appropriate vaccinations.
For more information about the NSW School Vaccination Program in your area contact your local public health unit by calling 1300 066 055.