Your child's first appointment with our service
Once your child’s referral has been accepted, we'll send you an initial assessment appointment. We'll contact you to arrange this either:
- by telephone
- using the MyChart app
- by letter
Your child will usually be seen at either the Mary Sheridan Centre or Sunshine House. If appropriate, we'll discuss the option to see your child at home, school or nursery.
How do I get an appointment?
A health visitor, GP, or another health professional can refer you.
Cancelling or changing your appointment
You can change or cancel your child's appointment by:
If you are unable to attend your appointment, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can offer your appointment to another patient.
Before your appointment
If your child is under 5 years old, please bring their red book. Please also bring any relevant medical reports that you may have about your child's condition.
If your child is over 3 years old, please bring a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for them to make the assessment easier and more comfortable.
During your appointment
At your first appointment, a physiotherapist will ask about what problems your child is having, and how these are impacting their motor skills, function and participation. They'll then look at the way your child moves by asking them to perform certain tasks. Your child's first appointment can take up to an hour.
As we're a teaching hospital, students and visitors may be observing the team. We'll always ask your permission for them to observe your appointment.
After your appointment
If your child needs more care, we'll discuss with you how often your child should see us and how long the treatment will be. The treatment will focus on teaching you how to best support your child to achieve their goals.
With your permission, your physiotherapist may refer your child to other health and education professionals or work with other individuals in your child's life (such as nursery or school).
Discharge policy
If you miss your appointment we'll contact you by telephone. If we cannot contact you by telephone we'll send you a letter asking you to contact our therapy admin team to rebook. If you do not contact us, we'lll discharge your child and let the person who referrered them and their GP know.