Supporting young people as they move from paediatric to adult healthcare services
Many children need to move from paediatric services to adult specialty care. During this period, young people may feel unsupported, leaving the team and system they know. This can result in less engagement and poorer healthcare outcomes. Adult services are often not designed for children with complex needs requiring multidisciplinary input, and adolescents have different needs than children or adults. Transition is challenging for any young person with a long-term condition, not just epilepsy.
Between November 2022 and May 2023, STPN delivered a QI programme in collaboration with the Burdett Trust. This included practical webinars to help clinical teams implement transition processes and resources into their services.
STPN established a Transition Forum to support local teams with pathway improvements. Currently, the forum is not meeting due to limited resources. Plans are underway to create a Pan London Transition Forum in 2026. The forum will explore:
Our surveys show that more clinical teams are setting up ‘Transition Clinics’, where paediatric and adult teams jointly review a patient and develop a care plan for moving into adult services, typically around age 16.
STPN | Improving equity, access and outcomes for Children and Young People with Epilepsy