Children's Therapy Services
Important information:
From 1 April 2011 Community Health Oxfordshire (CHO) integrates with Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust. Information regarding Children's Therapy Services has now moved across to Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust’s website and can be found here.
This page will be removed from NHS Oxfordshire’s website on 3 May 2011. Therefore please ensure that any bookmarks you have made to this page are updated. |
What Are Children’s Therapy Services?
Children’s Therapy Services include physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy services. In many cases you will be referred to these services by health or education professionals. In some cases parents can also refer to these services.
Children's Community Physiotherapy Service
The Children's Community Physiotherapy Service offers assessment, treatment and advice as appropriate. It works mainly with children with physical impairments and works with your child, usually through a planned therapy programme involving parents/carers, nurseries, schools etc. Where appropriate and in consultation with you, the paediatric physiotherapist will attend school reviews or other appointments.
The physiotherapists are based in local health centres or community hospitals in all part of the county. If referrers have any queries about making referrals, please contact Physiotherapy Administration on 01865 231988.
Speech And Language Therapy Service
The Speech and Language Therapy Service works with children of all ages in early year settings, schools and community clinics. Speech and language therapists work with children with a range of communications difficulties: listening, understanding, putting ideas into words, speaking clearly, stammering, voice problems, social interaction skills and eating and swallowing difficulties This service helps children to develop speech, language or alternative means of communication such as signing.
The speech and language therapist will develop a programme of work with the child parents and siblings which may involve training the team who see the child regularly and may involve small groups and one-to-one work.
For school age children, the Speech and Language Therapy Service is now an integrated service with education working with language and communication advisory teachers.
If there are concerns about a child’s communication skills a referral can be made by anyone with parent’s permission to:
Speech and Language Therapy Administrator
Orchard Health Centre
Code Road
Banbury
Telephone: 01295 819179
Occupational Therapy Service
The Occupational Therapy Service works with children of all ages who are physically impaired, have sensory processing problems or have coordination difficulties that affect their ability to participate in normal everyday activities. For children this means playing, socialising and making the most of school as much as being able to brush their own teeth or hold a pen.
Therapists work in schools, nurseries, homes and hospitals and our aim is to enable each child to discover just how much they can do for themselves. Following an assessment, you will be offered advice and information, reports, liaison with a child’s nursery or school, or possibly therapy intervention.
Activity programmes are often developed to be put in place at home or in an educational setting. Whatever the activity, one thing is clear. As children’s confidence improves, so does their independence and their chance to lead a more fulfilling life. Parents and carers will have full involvement during and after the assessment.
Referrals are made through paediatricians, GPs and educational personnel to a central administrative location. Children are seen in their area by locality teams.
Contact Central administration
Telephone: 01865 225342
Fax: 01865 225341
hepacpaeds.occ.therapy@orh.nhs.uk