Rehabilitation (Kids Rehab), The Children's Hospital at Westmead

Contact

Phone: (02) 7825 0833

Location: Children's Assessment Centre, Level 3 Outpatients, The Children's Hospital at Westmead

About our service

Kids Rehab is one of the three specialised paediatric rehabilitation services (PRS) in NSW, caring for children and young people who as the result of injury, a health condition or surgical or medical intervention would benefit from a multidisciplinary program of goal-directed care.

We work collaboratively with other clinical teams in the hospital, such as orthopaedics, neurosurgery, neurology, and other specialised services, to ensure rehabilitation can be accessed for all patients who need it.

Kids Rehab provides specialised services within inpatient, day admission, outpatient, and outreach settings. These services include:

NSW Paediatric Rehabilitation Services

Paediatric rehabilitation is a family-centred, specialist area of rehabilitation for children and young people who as the result of injury, a health condition, or surgical or medical intervention would benefit from a multidisciplinary program of goal-directed care.

Rehabilitation services aim to work with families as partners in care to improve a child or young person’s function and their participation in the home, school and community. Services provided include consultation, assessment, planning, intervening and co-ordinating rehabilitation care.

Paediatric rehabilitation services can assist families, children and young people to identify personal goals that are meaningful to them. Achieving goals can have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of children, young people and their families.

In NSW there are three specialist paediatric rehabilitation services collectively known as the NSW PRS:

Kids Rehab, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead
Rehab2Kids, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick
HNEkidsRehab, Hunter New England Kids Health, Newcastle

Each NSW PRS is led by a specialist medical team to meet the rehabilitation needs of children and young people referred for services. Our aim is to ensure that all children and young people in NSW have equal access to paediatric rehabilitation services (regardless of where they live).

NSW PRS programs

Consultations for patients in hospital
Staying overnight on a hospital ward for intensive inpatient rehabilitation
Daily visits to the hospital for intensive day rehabilitation
Regular visits for intensive outpatient rehabilitation
Outpatient therapy or home, school and community visits
Outpatient multidisciplinary clinics (face-to face or telehealth appointments)

NSW PRS clinical services

Services your child needs are considered at the time of referral and may include access to the following services and/or clinics:

Brain injury
Cerebral palsy & movement disorders
Combined orthopaedic and rehabilitation
Complex musculoskeletal conditions
Inpatient rehabilitation (including day rehabilitation)
Limb difference
Spinal cord injury and conditions
Spina bifida
Botulinum toxin
Intrathecal baclofen
Selective dorsal rhizotomy

What is family engagement?

Our teams wish to partner with families in decisions about the rehabilitation care and services that we provide to children and young people and to ensure they receive “the right care, with the right team, in the right place at the right time��.

Ways families can be involved in the NSW PRS:

Family engagement can happen in many ways. This can be through being informed of what is happening in the NSW PRS, being part of projects, or providing feedback. Families can choose how much they would like to be involved.

How to provide feedback to the Rehabilitation team:

If you wish to pass on a compliment or have any feedback about the care you receive or would like to be involved as a consumer representative please speak to any of the rehabilitation staff. We are happy to discuss any ways you can be involved in improving our service and can direct you to people who can best answer your questions.

Contact Kids Rehab:

Phone: (02) 7825 0833
Email: [email protected]

Who can be referred to the NSW PRS?

Children and young people are eligible to receive services provided through NSW PRS if they have complex rehabilitation needs and:

have an identified health condition
live in NSW or ACT
are aged between 0-16 years
need consultation with a Paediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Physician
have goals for rehabilitation
have difficulties and limitations participating in their daily activities
need multidisciplinary medical, nursing or allied health services.

See the Eligibility criteria section of the page for more detail.

Eligibility criteria

There are seven criteria we use to decide if NSW PRS are the right team, with the right services for your child or young person at this time in their health journey.

If the child or young person does not meet the criteria, we may still be able to give you other ideas to help them based on the information provided and without seeing your child or young person. Staff will contact you to offer alternatives.

Health condition

The child or young person has a health condition.

A health condition might be:

an injury or illness that has occurred (e.g. brain injury, amputation, cancer)
a condition present from birth (e.g. cerebral palsy, spina bifida, genetic disorder).

NSW PRS does not exclude any specific health condition but we may not be the best service to help your child or young person. If we know other services that are better suited to your child or young person’s health condition, we will suggest them.

Address

The NSW PRS see children and young people who live in NSW or ACT.
The NSW PRS sometimes see children and young people who live interstate or overseas for highly specialised rehabilitation programs.

Age

The NSW PRS see children and young people aged 0-17 years.
For young people aged 16 years and over referral to adult services would be considered, especially if the young person has left school.
Ante-natal referrals are considered if it is likely the child will meet the other criteria when they are born.

Rehabilitation goals

NSW PRS provide goal directed care.

At the time of referral, we would like to know what goals the NSW PRS team can help the child or young person, and/or family to achieve.

Examples of goals include:

improve your child or young person’s ability to move around safely
learn about new treatments or therapies
receive advice about working with multidisciplinary services
work on ideas to improve your child or young person’s learning and friendships
receive education about future expectations and needs for your child or young person.

Need for a Paediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Physician

NSW PRS are medically led services.

The child or young person needs to see a specialist rehabilitation medicine physician (doctor), in addition to the doctors already involved in their care.

Examples of reasons to see a specialist rehabilitation medicine physician include:

leading a multidisciplinary team assessment
prescription of specialist equipment, orthotics or prosthetics
advice on specialist rehabilitation treatments
future planning to optimise development in young children who have or are expected to have a disability.

Activity limitations and participation restriction

The child or young person is limited or restricted in some way from doing the things most children of the same age can do.

NSW PRS can also see very young children who are expected to be limited or restricted in their activities or participation in the future.

Difficulties might be in areas including (but not limited to):

home life
talking and communication
moving and walking
dressing, eating and drinking
relationships with family and friends
day-care, preschool and school
participating in the community.

Need for multidisciplinary medical, nursing, allied health services

The child or young person must need more than one kind of therapy or support.

The child or young person might be currently receiving those services, or they might need them, but not yet have them.

Examples of multidisciplinary supports they may need include:

art therapy
case management
child life therapy
clinical psychology
dietetics
educational support
music therapy
neuropsychology
nursing
occupational therapy
physiotherapy
social work
specialist doctor
speech pathology.

Referral process for clinicians

Our department is using to manage referrals. The Consultmed platform allows health professionals to send e-referrals to us securely. ��

Consultmed questions and technical support: [email protected]

Referrals are best made to the NSW PRS team in the Children’s Healthcare �ǿ�� (CHN) region that the child or young person lives in. Kids Rehab is the primary PRS for the Western Child Health �ǿ��.

Some referrals can be seen at a NSW PRS outside their CHN region, for example, if the child or young person already sees a specialist at one of the children’s hospitals, it may be more suitable to refer to the NSW PRS that works within that hospital. Referrers can discuss referrals outside the CHN region by calling the relevant NSW PRS. .

Referral and appointment process for parents and carers

Request a referral

To make an appointment at our clinic, you will need a referral from your GP, paediatrician or specialist.

They will assess your child, discuss your concerns, and make a referral to the appropriate service.��

Track your referral

Our department uses Consultmed to manage referrals. Your referring clinician sends the e-referral to us using the secure Consultmed platform.��

Once we receive the referral the NSW PRS team will:
�� review whether the child or young person's needs meet the eligibility criteria
�� request any additional information required from the referring clinician.

If the child or young person meets the criteria, we will be in contact to arrange your NSW PRS appointment.

If your clinician has questions about Consultmed or require technical support, they can contact [email protected].

Need support?

If you need help or have questions about the referral and appointment process, please contact us.��

Phone: (02) 7825 0833

Email: [email protected]

Preparing for your appointment

Coming to to an appointment at Kids Rehab? Here's some information to help you get ready.

Waiting for your appointment

Waiting times for appointments will be different for each child or young person and will depend on their needs.
While you are waiting for an appointment and during your involvement with the NSW PRS, you should continue to use therapies or services that are already available to your child or young person.
You can also continue to look for services your child needs but does not yet have.
These services may be in the community, at a local health district or hospital, in a private practice or funded through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

What to bring

Your Medicare Card
Any relevant medical, therapy or school reports for your child
Any splints, orthotics or mobility equipment which your child uses

Getting here and parking

Parking at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead can be challenging. There is paid parking available in the multi-storey carpark, which is approximately 300 metres from the Child Assessment Centre. Street parking is limited so allow plenty of time to arrive for your appointment.

If you have a Service NSW Mobility Permit, Health Care Card, Gold Veterans Affairs Card or Pensioner Concession Card, you are eligible for parking concessions. Visit the Secure Parking Office on Level 2 to validate your parking ticket before returning to your car.

Arrival

Check-in for your appointment at the Reception desk in the Child Assessment Centre on Level 3.

The clinic nurse will measure your child’s weight and height while you are waiting to be seen.

Learn more about visiting The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

During your appointment

Your first appointment at Kids Rehab may be up to 1 hour long.
You will see one of our rehabilitation doctors. You may also see an allied health professional or nurse depending on your child’s needs.
We will speak to you about your child’s medical history and development, education, personal care, and evaluate their movements and mobility.
We will discuss what goals and interventions might be appropriate for your child.
We may recommend some further assessments or tests, such as x-rays.
Your child’s weight and height will be measured during the appointment.
After the appointment, you will receive the clinic report which you can share with the community professionals caring for your child.

Please feel free to contact our team on (02) 7825 0833 or email Kids Rehab, if there is anything else you would like to know before your appointment.

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