West Midlands Cleft Lip and Palate service celebrate 25 years of collaborative working
The West Midlands Cleft Lip and Palate service, based at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, is marking 25 years of supporting young people and families across the region.
It was the first specialist centre of its kind in the country when it was set up a quarter of a century ago, it helps people on their journeys with the condition through childhood and beyond.
Around one in 700 in the UK are born with a cleft lip and or palate. A cleft happens because different areas of the face don’t join together while a baby is developing in the womb. There is no known cause and it may affect one side of the lip/palate (unilateral) or both sides (bilateral).
A cleft lip can be diagnosed antenatally at the 20-week scan. A cleft palate will usually be diagnosed within 24 hours of birth.
Our multi-disciplinary team at our Children’s Hospital supports young people up until the age of 16.
The team is made up of Specialist Nurses, Dental and Orthodontics, Audiology and Ear, Nose and Throat specialists, along with Specialist Speech and Language Therapists, Psychology, Maxillofacial and Cleft surgeons.
Over the last 25 years, the team have helped hundreds of children born with cleft lip and palate and their families.