The Continuing Care and Short Breaks Respite Team is based at Hunslet Health Centre.

The team is made up of nurses and carers trained to provide nursing care for children with complex healthcare needs and their families who would benefit from our support.

We offer nursing and respite care (temporary, short-term breaks and support) for each family to enable them to look after their child at home.

We aim to:

• Work together to provide a service to care for and support each child and each family
• Offer continuity of care by clearly communicating with all those involved in the child’s care
• Offer a professional relationship based on mutual respect, trust and confidentiality
• Ensure the whole family feels supported

Our partners

We work closely with some other organisations to offer a complete range of care. These include:

• Hannah House (a purpose-built, child-friendly respite facility for 0-18 years olds)
• Martin House (for children and young people with life-limiting illness)
• Leeds Children’s Nursing and Butterfly Team
• Nursing Agencies
• Special needs sitting scheme
• Education Leeds
• Specialist Inclusive Learning Centre (SILC)

Information sharing with other agencies is only done with consent from families.

What We Can Offer You

If your child meets the ‘continuing care’ criteria and is eligible for short break respite care, we will offer your family a number of hours respite care per week.

This respite care can be provided by:

• NHS Continuing Care and Short Breaks Respite Team
• A nursing agency
• The Continuing Care Team and nursing agency together

We review the care we offer to each family regularly with both the professionals and carers. This is so we can provide services tailored specifically for each child and each family.

Referral

Referrals for continuing care and short breaks will require a CAF / Core and a Nursing Assessment and should be forwarded to the Children's Case Manager or Team Leader.