Transitioning to adult services can be tough for young people. You may face many changes, like switching schools, going to college, making career choices, or starting work. Also, moving from a children’s healthcare team to an adult team can add stress. You might feel unprepared or lack the confidence to manage your own health. Leaving the children’s team that cared for you can be hard. You may also feel anxious about meeting the adult team or unsure of whom to contact. Sometimes, this can feel overwhelming, making it hard to prioritise your health.

Moving from children’s (paediatric) healthcare to adult healthcare can be daunting. Adult healthcare often operates in a different manner. Understanding these changes and taking care of your health will help you manage your condition as an adult.

We want to support young adults with long-term conditions, complex needs, or mental health issues. Our goal is to make their transition easy. We aim to build bridges between children and adult service providers.

We will work towards a transition process that is safe and effective for you and your parent/carer. You and your parents or carers will learn how to manage your health in adult services. What is transition in children and young people’s healthcare?

What is transition in children and young people’s healthcare? Section same name in “What is transition in children and young people’s healthcare?”

Children’s and adult health services are often organised in different ways. This is due to differences in development and how our bodies change as we age.

 In children’s healthcare, the focus is on growth and development. You may have one doctor for all your physical health issues.

For adults, the focus shifts to ageing and lifestyle factors. Different laws also apply at different ages.  As an adult, you might see a different team for each condition.

Depending on your condition, you may move from a children’s team to an adult team at the same hospital, a different hospital, or another service. Sometimes, your GP may take over your care.

Your care may shift to an adult team at the same hospital or move to a different hospital or your GP. What is transition in children and young people’s healthcare?

The timing can vary for everyone, but transition discussions should begin by year 9 (around 13 or 14 years old). If you are older than 14 and entering children’s healthcare, discussions should start right away.

Most young people will transition to adult healthcare around age 18. But, if you need an admission to hospital, you will typically go to an adult ward after turning 16, for a physical health need. For a young person needing admission to a mental health bed, you will go to a children’s ward until age 18. What is transition in children and young people’s healthcare?

How transition happens maybe based on your needs. Your healthcare team should talk to you about what to expect. They may use a transition framework such as Ready Steady Go, which will help you and your family to gain the knowledge and skills for you to manage your condition.

A transition framework is a structured healthcare transition tool designed to help young people with long‑term health conditions move safely and confidently from children to adult services. For more information, please visit Ready Steady Go Programme – TIER Network.

For children under 16, a parent or carer usually makes healthcare decisions. We will take your wishes into account if you are Gillick competent. This means you understand enough to make your own decisions. What is transition in children and young people’s healthcare?

• Have a discussion with your parent or carer about how much involvement they want or you want them to have in your care.
  
• You might ask your nurse or doctor to speak to you instead of your parent or carer during your appointments. This way, you can get comfortable talking about your condition.
  
• Feel free to ask questions about your condition or treatment. No question is silly.
  
• Writing down your questions can help you remember them.
  
• You could also start learning how to make or change your appointments. You can contact your GP practice online via their website, the NHS App or by phone.
  
• Keep a list of your medicines, how much you take, and any allergies to medicines. You can take a picture of your medicines label in case you need to tell new health professionals.
  
• Keep a record of your medical history, allergies, and vaccines in case you need to tell someone this in the future.
  
• If you do not understand something a doctor or nurse says, say so. You might want to know more about a health condition you have. If you ask the health professional you see about the condition, they may be able to tell you good websites to look at.

When you turn 16, you can agree to your own examination or treatment, like adults do. Health care providers don’t need to ask your parents or guardian for consent.

Young people aged 16 and 17 can usually consent to their own treatment. This is unless there is evidence that suggests otherwise or if they feel unready. If you can’t decide for yourself or don’t want to, your parents or guardians can make choices that are best for you. Find out more at Healthcare between 16 to 18 – transition to adult services.

Confidentiality is respecting a person’s privacy and not sharing your details or information unless you give consent for them to be shared.

You have a right to confidentiality when speaking to a doctor or nurse. This is called doctor and nurse patient confidentiality. All doctors and nurses are legally bound by it.

Doctors and nurses will keep your information private. They won’t share what you say with your parents or anyone else unless in specific circumstances.

If the doctor or nurse feels that you are in danger in any way or need help to make your decision, they may involve your parent or carer or share your information to keep you safe.

If you might harm yourself or others, professionals cannot keep things private.

Young people who have a Children and Young People (CYP) Continuing Care package do not automatically qualify for an adult care package under NHS Continuing Health Care or NHS Funded Nursing Care upon turning 18. A process is followed to transition to adult service ensuring the correct commissioning service is in place to meet the young person’s needs beyond their 18th Birthday.

CYP Continuing Care will help families through this transition. They will also guide them to the right services.

The CYP Continuing Care team will identify young people nearing their 17th birthday. When a young person turns 17, the team will inform the adult service about the need for a transitional assessment. Young people with a learning disability will work with the Local Authority Learning Disability Intake Team. People whose main health need is physical will be assessed by the Adult Continuing Health Care team. Once eligibility is confirmed, the young person will get an adult case manager. They will help create the support package, which starts after their 18th birthday.

For young people not receiving CYP Continuing Care, access to Adult Continuing Health Care will follow the usual referral process. This should be discussed with existing professionals, and a checklist can be submitted after 17½ years if necessary. Benefits, care costs and social care – transition to adult services.

Your parents/carers might be receiving a Disability Living Allowance (DLA) payment to help with any additional costs of caring for you.

When you reach 16 years old, your care will need to be reassessed to see if you will qualify for a different payment called a Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will contact you or your family before your sixteenth birthday to explain how to claim for a PIP.

More details are available here: Personal Independence Payment | PIP – Carers UK.

See more information about any benefits or financial support you may be entitled to – Benefits, care costs and social care – transition to adult services.

Please see local links to information and support – Benefits, care costs and social care – transition to adult services.

Lincolnshire County Council’s SEND offer gives help and advice for preparing for adult life with a learning disability. Preparing for adulthood – Lincolnshire County Council.

Annual Health Checks for young people with a learning disability in Lincolnshire are for those aged 14 and over. Your doctor or nurse will conduct an Annual Health Check once a year.

Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (LPFT) offer a range of services to support adults with learning disabilities in the community. As well as autism diagnosis and post diagnosis support for autistic people. Learning Disabilities and Autism :: Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Trust.