Your first appointment

Find out more about travelling to our hospital for your appointment.

Who will you see in your appointment?

There may be several people in the clinic room because lots of people contribute to your child’s care. They all have different skills and are specialists in their area. They make up the multi-disciplinary team.

Some of the people in your appointment may include:

The Clinical Nurse Specialist: “I can provide you with information about your child’s condition and treatment. I am the person to contact if you have any questions or worries.”

The Craniofacial Co-ordinator: "I organise the clinics and can help you arrange your appointments.”

The Craniofacial Surgeons: “We talk to you about your child’s condition. Some children may need an operation and if they do, we can explain how this may help them.”

The Speech and Language Therapist: “We work with children with communication and/or feeding difficulties. We discuss your child's speech, language and feeding development and can help you to access support from your local SLT service if it's needed"

The Clinical Psychologist: “We assess your child’s development and emotions. We can help if you have questions about confidence, difficult feelings or how to cope with curiosity.”

Some other team members may also be present. You will be introduced to them and their roles will be explained to you.

Will your child be examined?

With your permission, a doctor will measure the size of your child’s head and feel it to check its shape. Some children dislike having their head touched or measured, but it does not hurt them. You may wish to bring your child’s favourite toy to keep them amused whilst all of this is going on.

What questions might you be asked?

It is important that the team understands all about the health and development of your child. You will be asked some simple questions about your child’s health, their behaviour at home and any problems they have been having. You will be asked some questions about your own health as well.

What will happen after the appointment?

At the end of your appointment, the team will make sure that everything has been explained to you fully. Some children may need further tests, scans or an operation, but the team can tell you more about this at your appointment. If the team needs to see you again, another appointment will be made for you. A letter will be written outlining what was discussed at your appointment and this will be sent out to you afterwards. You can also access all your child’s records and appointments on MyChart BWC