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Q&A: How ellenor Brings Specialist Children’s Care Closer To Home
When a child is living with a life-limiting condition, family life can quickly become filled with hospital appointments, uncertainty and the emotional and practical challenges that many families face day to day.
ellenor’s Children’s Team supports babies, children and young people across Kent and Bexley, helping families access specialist nursing care, emotional support and practical help closer to home.
Children’s hospice care is about helping children live as well as possible, for as long as possible, while supporting the wellbeing of the whole family at every stage of their journey.
In this Q&A, the team explains how ellenor works alongside leading London hospitals to help families receive more support closer to home.
What kind of support can ellenor provide at home?
ellenor supports babies, children and young people living with life-limiting conditions through specialist nursing care, symptom management, respite and emotional wellbeing support, as well as palliative and end of life care when needed.
The charity also provides wider family support, including counselling, music therapy (can we still say this?) and play therapy, helping families navigate some of the emotional, practical and social challenges that can come with caring for a child with complex or life-limiting needs.
Care is tailored to each child and family depending on their individual needs and circumstances.
Do all children supported by ellenor receive end of life care?
No. Many babies, children and young people supported by ellenor live with complex or life-limiting conditions for many years.
Children’s palliative care is about helping children live as well as possible, for as long as possible, while supporting the emotional wellbeing of the whole family.
Some children’s conditions may improve or stabilise, while others may require ongoing specialist support into adolescence and early adulthood. For some young people, support may continue through ellenor’s adult services helping maintain continuity of care and trusted relationships as their needs change over time. =For many families, hospital appointments can take up an enormous amount of time and energy, especially when a child has complex or long-term needs.
Receiving care closer to home can help children maintain more normal routines where possible, including spending time at school, seeing friends and remaining in familiar surroundings.
In some cases, receiving care locally can also help avoid unnecessary hospital visits and reduce disruption to family life.
It can also reduce some of the emotional and financial pressures that come with frequent travel to London hospitals.
Many people may not realise ellenor works closely with leading London hospitals. How does that partnership work?
ellenor works alongside specialist children’s hospitals including Great Ormond Street Hospital, Evelina London, University College London Hospital and The Royal Marsden to help deliver care closer to home for children across Kent and Bexley.
Children will still attend their main consultant appointments in London, but much of their ongoing monitoring, symptom management and support can often be provided in the community by ellenor’s Children’s Team.
For families, this can mean fewer journeys to hospital and more time spent together at home.
How does ellenor work alongside other professionals involved in a child’s care?
ellenor works closely with hospital teams, GPs, community nurses, therapists, schools and other healthcare professionals to help ensure children and families receive joined-up care.
This collaborative approach helps families feel more supported and can reduce some of the stress that comes with coordinating multiple appointments and services.
Does this partnership approach also help families at end of life?
Yes. One of the most important aspects of children’s palliative care is giving families choice and helping them spend as much quality time together as possible.
For some families, being able to remain at home together during a child’s final days is incredibly important. Working closely with specialist hospitals and local services helps make that possible for more families who choose it.
ellenor’s Children’s Team provides support 24 hours a day, 365 days a year CAT, IS THIS TRUE?, helping families feel supported, informed and less alone during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
What makes ellenor’s children’s service different?
ellenor combines specialist care delivered closer to home with close links to some of the country’s leading children’s hospitals.
This means families can access highly skilled children’s nurses and specialist support locally, while also benefiting from strong partnerships with expert hospital teams in London.
The focus is not only on medical care, but on helping children and families live as well as possible, for as long as possible.
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