A Guide to Transition and Preparing for Adulthood

Patient and Carer Information

 

What support do we give along the journey?

In Children’s Services we believe that transition should put you and your family at the centre of your healthcare services.

We aim to:

• Guide you to understand about your or your family member’s health needs and how this might change during
• puberty and into adulthood
• Support you and your family to be more independent in making health decisions and to be confident on how to access services
• Share your information with the adult health teams and give them a clear handover of your history
• Give support in a way that works for you and your family, ensuring we consider your individual needs

 

Our webpage

Use the web link below to take a look at the information and resources on our webpage. This includes details on the SEND Local Offer, the Mental Capacity ACT and the Learning Disabilities Register.

www.manchesterlco.org/transition- preparing-for-adulthood/

Our feedback survey

We welcome and value all feedback on the transition process. This is to help us improve our work. To leave your feedback, simply use the below web address.

www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/ChildrenCommunityTransition

Other compliments or complaints

If you have any suggestions, comments, compliments or concerns about the

services you have received, the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) team are here to help. They can be contacted by email at pals@mft.nhs.uk or by phone on 0161 276 8686.

Other languages

This leaflet can be translated and provided in other languages or formats upon request. Please contact us if you require help.

Learning Disability Register

If a young person has learning difficulties, they can be placed on the MENCAP Learning Disability register by their GP.

This enables other community healthcare services to know what reasonable adjustments or support the person might need to help them access health services.

After the age of 14 they will be entitled to an Annual Health Check with their GP.

 

What is transition?

Most likey, you are reading this leaflet because you or the young person you care for has reached an age when we need to start talking about preparing, planning, and

moving their care from children’s to adult services.

The process of preparing for adulthood is a gradual journey and starts in the early teenage years and runs through to adulthood.

The decision about what age to start this process will be made in partnership with you, the young person and the clinical teams involved.

By talking about transition early, we aim to give plenty of time for you to prepare for the changes in how your health services will be provided. We want to support you and your family to be confident to make decisions about your health and wellbeing.

When the transfer of care from children’s to adult health services happens, our goal is for it to be as smooth as possible and for you, your family, and your new healthcare services to be ready to work together.

How does transition work?

In Manchester Children’s Community Health, we follow a plan called Get Ready, Get Steady, Prepared to Go. This plan is flexible to the needs of each young person and their family, and it encourages us to work together at key points in time.

Thinking together about transition at these stages helps us to ensure the right support is in place at the right time. The stages are —

• Get Ready (around 11-13 years):

  You are introduced to what transition is and are asked to start talking about the support that you and your family are likely need along the way within each health service.

• Get Steady (around 14-15 years):

  The health services involved in your care work together with you and your family to identify your or your family member’s future health needs. We help you to become more confident and independent at managing them.

• Prepared to Go (around 14-15 years):

  In this stage each service reviews your health needs with you and transfers your care to the various adult health services that you need. The exact age at which your care is transferred will vary for different services.

During these stages, the young person will be encouraged to speak to their health worker on their own, and parents or carers will then be invited to join the consultation. This will only happen if it is felt to be appropriate and the young person is able to do so.

The aim is to build the young person’s confidence so they can take responsibility for their own medical conditions and needs.

 

How are adult healthcare services different?

As with each Children’s Service, each Adult Health Team will vary in how you access their support and how they provide it. Below are some key differences in how healthcare is provided in adult care.

Accessing healthcare services

Adult healthcare relies on the individual or their family seeking help and accessing services when needed. This means that as an adult you need to take a lead in asking for support.

Consent

When accessing adult services, the young adult will be able to give consent for themselves and letters and phone calls will be directed to them. However, parents or carers may still be asked to attend best interests meetings. These involve discussing next steps for the young person with those involved in their care plan.

Note: if there is any doubt as to whether a young adult has the capacity to make an informed decision about a given treatment option, an assessment of their capacity to consent to care and treatment will be made. See the Mental Care Act leaflet on our web page for more details.

Key contact

In Children’s services your School Nurse, Paediatrician or Specialist Nurse may have had the lead role. In adult services your GP or a Hospital Consultant is usually the key contact for your healthcare.