Kids Rehab at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead
Kids Rehab is one of the largest paediatric rehabilitation units in Australia, caring for over 4300 children and young people in NSW who have a range of disabilities including Acquired Brain Injury, Cerebral Palsy, Limb Loss, Spinal Cord Injury / Disease, Spina Bifida and Complex Musculoskeletal Disorders.
Kids Rehab is a leader in these five specialist clinical areas and has a tertiary and quaternary multidisciplinary clinical management service available for children and adolescents with physical and acquired cognitive disability.
The Department supports and assists children and young people to reach their full potential in all areas of development. This involves assessment, recommendations for interventions that help to restore functions that are lost after trauma or disease, follow up review assessments and prevention strategies for problems that may occur. It is a training centre for Consultant Rehabilitation Paediatricians and utilises a multidisciplinary, family focused model of care.
Kids Rehab also offers a consultative service in conjunction with other departments within The Children’s Hospital at Westmead to assist children and young people with Connective Tissue Dysplasia, Neuromuscular and Neurodevelopmental problems.
The department faces a growing demand for services after a 20% increase in occasions of service in the last 12 months.
The five area of services provided are as follows;
Brain Injury Service
The Brain Injury Service supports and assists children and young people who have sustained a brain injury to make the best possible recovery and reach their full potential in all areas of development. This multi-disciplinary inpatient and outpatient service provides assistance with the variety of physical, cognitive, behavioural, emotional and communication problems which may result from a brain injury.
Cerebral Palsy and Movement Disorder Service
The Cerebral Palsy and Movement Disorder Clinic offers a consultancy service for children and adolescents with physical disabilities that are congenital or acquired early in life such as Cerebral Palsy. The Clinic assists in coordinating the child’s needs by providing consultations, advice and support to parents and families, health professionals, teachers and others who are involved in the care of children with physical disabilities. We also coordinate referrals to other specialised services and programs, where appropriate.
Limb and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Service
The Limb Service provides care and support for children and young people with congenital and acquired limb loss. A team of rehabilitation physicians, prosthetists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and social workers work alongside genetics and orthopaedics services to provide comprehensive care to children and their families and assist them in achieving their potential. The musculoskeletal service provides rehabilitation for physical disability resulting from inherited musculoskeletal conditions.
Spina Bifida Service
The Spina Bifida Service provides antenatal counselling, inpatient and outpatient services to children with spina bifida, developmental services, school liaison and education, home visits, information and education, outreach clinics and transition services. The Spina Bifida team includes a physiotherapist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist, clinical nurse consultant, social worker, rehabilitation physician and surgical consultants.
Spinal Cord Injury / Disease Service
The Spinal Cord Clinic offers a consultancy and management service for children and adolescents with acquired spinal cord damage. This includes damage caused by traumatic injuries or through disease, such as transverse myelitis. The clinic aims to provide ongoing education for the child and their family to prevent and address problems they experience, including bladder and bowel dysfunction, sensory impairment and autonomic abnormalities, weakness, scoliosis and neurosurgical problems.
For further information about Kids Rehab and any of the services available at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, visit www.chw.edu.au/kidsrehab