🏥What Is Healthcare Transition?
When kids with health problems grow up, they need to switch from seeing children’s doctors to seeing adult doctors. This change is called a transition.
Doctors and nurses help you learn how to take care of your health by yourself. They also help your family understand what’s happening.
🚶Why Is Transition Important?
Growing up means lots of changes—like going to a new school or starting a job. Changing doctors can feel scary too. You might miss your old doctor or feel nervous meeting new ones.
But don’t worry! The new team will help you stay healthy. You’ll learn how to talk about your health and make good choices.
🧠Why Do We Change Doctors?
Children’s doctors help you grow and develop. Adult doctors help you stay healthy as you get older. Adults sometimes see different doctors for different things.
That’s why, when you get older, your care might move to:
- A new team at the same hospital
- A different hospital
- Your regular doctor (called a GP)
📅When Does Transition Start?
Doctors usually start talking about transition when you’re around 13 or 14 years old. Most kids move to adult care by age 18, but if you go to the hospital after age 16, you’ll probably be in the adult area.
🛠What Happens During Transition?
Your doctors will help you get ready. They might use a plan called Ready Steady Go to teach you and your family what you need to know.
If you’re under 16, your parents usually make health choices for you. But if you understand your health well, you might be able to make some choices yourself.
💡Tips to Help You Get Ready
Here are some things you can do to feel more confident:
- Ask your doctor or nurse to talk to you directly, not just your parents.
- Ask questions—there’s no such thing as a silly question!
- Write down your questions so you don’t forget.
- Learn how to make or change your own appointments.
- Keep a list of your medicines and allergies. You can take a photo of your medicine labels.
- Keep track of your health history and vaccines.
- If you don’t understand something, say so! Your doctor can explain or show you good websites to learn more.
🧒Growing Up and Healthcare (Ages 16–18)
✅Saying Yes to Treatment (Consent)
- When you turn 16, you can say yes (give consent) to your own doctor visits or treatments. You don’t need your parents to say yes for you.
- If you’re 16 or 17, you can usually make your own health choices—unless you’re not ready or need help.
- If you’re 18 or older, your parents can’t make health choices for you anymore unless a special court says they can.
- If you can’t make decisions, someone called a deputy might be chosen by a court to help you.
- You can also choose someone to help make decisions for you when you’re older. This is called a lasting power of attorney.
🤫Keeping Things Private (Confidentiality)
- Doctors and nurses keep your health information private. This is called confidentiality.
- They won’t tell your parents or anyone else what you say unless:
- You’re in danger
- You might hurt yourself or someone else
- You need help making a decision
🧩Getting Help as You Grow
🏥Moving from Children’s to Adult Care
- If you get special help from the NHS as a child, you might not automatically get the same help as an adult.
- When you’re 17, your care team will start planning for your adult care.
- If you have a learning disability, you’ll work with a special team.
- If your health needs are physical, another team will help you.
- If you qualify, you’ll get a case manager to help you after you turn 18.
💷Money and Support
- Your parents might get money called Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to help care for you.
- When you turn 16, you might get a new kind of money called Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
- The government will contact you or your family to explain how to apply.
📚Where to Learn More
You can find more help and information from places like:
- GOV.UK (for benefits and support)
- Citizens Advice
- MoneyHelper
🏠Housing Help for Young People in Lincolnshire
If you’re a young person and need a safe place to live, there are people and places that can help you.
🛏️Where Can You Stay?
- The NEST helps young people aged 16 and 17, and care leavers up to age 21, find a place to live with support.
- YMCA Lincolnshire helps adults 18 and older who don’t have a home and need extra help.
- LEAP Housing helps people in Lincoln and Gainsborough who are having a hard time finding a home.
- Acis Group helps with housing, learning, and skills in Lincolnshire and nearby areas.
- If you have a learning disability, Lincolnshire County Council can help you find the right place to live.
🏘️Local Councils That Can Help
Different areas in Lincolnshire have their own housing teams:
- Boston Borough Council
- City of Lincoln Council
- West Lindsey District Council
- East Lindsey District Council
- North Kesteven District Council
- South Kesteven District Council
- South Holland District Council
🧠Learning Disabilities and Growing Up
If you have a learning disability, there are services to help you get ready for adult life.
🩺Health Checks
- If you’re 14 or older, you can get a health check every year to make sure you’re doing okay.
- A doctor or nurse will talk to you and check your health.
⚖️Making Big Decisions
- When you turn 16, doctors and social workers follow special rules to help you make big decisions.
- Your parents or carers can still help, but you might be able to decide for yourself.
🧩Getting the Right Support
- Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Trust helps adults with learning disabilities and autism.
- They work with families and health teams to make sure you get the care you need.
📚Learning About Growing Up
There are guides and courses to help you understand what happens when you move from children’s services to adult services:
- Ready Steady Go helps you learn how to manage your health.
- Preparing for Adulthood gives tools to help plan your future.
- Gloriously Ordinary Lives is a course to help you think about your adult life.
- You’re Welcome shows how health services should treat young people with respect.