Allied Health

Services provided by Allied Health

Occupational Therapy (OT)

Occupational Therapy focuses on maximising participation and independence in everyday living skills.  For children, this includes play, self-care, going to and participating in school, sport, leisure and learning skills.  If a child is having difficulty in their daily occupations, i.e. self-care, school learning, play, etc. an OT can provide assessment and possible therapy, including management to address the difficulties presented.

Social Work

Social workers provide families with emotional support, information, advice and practical help when children come to hospital. Ask your nurse or doctor if you want to talk to a social worker.

Nutrition and Dietetics

Dieticians provide assessment and counselling for infants, children, adolescents and their families on general and specific nutritional concerns through an inpatient and outpatient basis. Specialty teams include diabetes/ endocrinology, oncology, neonatal, cystic fibrosis, food allergy, gastroenterology, home enteral nutrition and feeding difficulties related to medical conditions. General nutrition referrals include iron deficiency, failure to thrive and severe childhood obesity.

Speech Pathology

John Hunter Children's Hospital Speech Pathology department provides an inpatient service to paediatric wards at the Hospital, including general medical and surgical wards, oncology, adolescents, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and paediatric beds in the intensive care unit at John Hunter Hospital. Assessment and treatment of speech, language, and swallowing disorders is provided for acute and rehabilitation patients.

The Speech Pathology department also provides an outpatient service to the following specialised client groups:

• Children 0-18 years from northern NSW presenting with cleft lip / palate and velopharyngeal disorders. This is tertiary referral consultative service
• Children with complex dysphagia requiring specialist consultative and therapeutic services. May include multidisciplinary feeding clinics or individual treatment.
• Children with acquired neurological problems, including acquired brain injury (ABI)
• A Modified Barium Swallow (MBS) service is provided by the Speech Pathology Department in conjunction with the Radiology Department. A palato-videofluoroscopy (PVF) procedure is also offered to children with velopharyngeal incompetence (VPI). This is a specialist diagnostic procedure conducted in conjunction with the Paediatric Radiologist.

Physiotherapy

Paediatric Physiotherapists specialise in the treatment of respiratory, orthopaedic and neurological disorders of infancy and childhood. We also treat children with developmental delay and disability. We will accept children aged from birth to 18 years.

Referral to the Paediatric Physiotherapy department at John Hunter Children's Hospital can be made by a:

• Child health Nurse
• GP
• Specialist doctor such as Paediatrician or Paediatric Specialist
• Other health professional such as Physiotherapist or Occupational Therapist

Music, Art and Child Life Therapy

Music, Art and Child Life Therapy aim to provide creative therapeutic interventions that empower children, young people and their families to be partners in their care. Non-threatening child-centred experiences develop trust and are individually designed to promote self-expression and growth, optimising potential for wellbeing.

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