What is transition in children and young people’s healthcare?
Transition in healthcare helps young people with long-term conditions prepare for adult care. It aims to build the skills you need to manage your health on your own.
All young adults with a long-term health condition (LTC) will move from children’s services to adult care. In Lincolnshire we will try to make sure you and your family or carers will get the support you need during this process.
Why getting transition right is important
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.
Why does transition happen?
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.
When does transition start?
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 happens in transition?
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.