The children's outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy service (p-OPAT) helps send children home from hospital early when the only reason they're in hospital is that they need intravenous (IV) antibiotics. Intravenous antibiotics are given through a temporary plastic tube in the vein of your child, generally in the arm or hand.
Our service can either arrange for a community nurse to give the IV antibiotics to your child at home or, in some cases, we may be able to teach you how to give your child their IV antibiotics.
You'll need to attend one of our clinics once a week while treatment continues. Here we will give you more antibiotics and supplies to take home. We'll also use this time to check your child's progress.
Download our p-OPAT service leaflet (PDF 123KB) for more information.