FAQs

What should I bring with me when I come to hospital?

If you’re going to be staying on a ward you should bring the following items with you:

• clothes
• pyjamas
• toiletries
• entertainment – books, magazines, music (remember your earphones!) etc.
• school/college work
• any medication you normally take

Please try not to bring valuables – we cannot accept any responsibility for lost or damaged items.

When will I be moving on to adult services?

We normally start the process of preparing patients for the move to adult services (known as ‘transition’) around age 14. Some patients with long term conditions may start transition planning at 11 or 12. The actual move to adult care can take place anywhere between 16 and 19 depending your condition and your individual needs.

Can I choose where I go for my adult care?

Depending on your medical needs your ongoing care will either be transferred to a regional centre (not necessarily your home town or city, but somewhere that serves patients in your part of the country) or to a local hospital (one close to where you live). Your nurse specialist will be able to tell you which option is most likely for you.

What differences can I expect in adult care?

Blood tests

• will be carried out using a needle in a vein rather than pricking your skin and ‘magic cream’ won’t be used
• you will be expected to let someone know – usually your nurse specialist – when you need further blood tests and/or prescriptions

Ward stays

• visiting times are shorter
• parents will not be able to stay overnight with you
• you may be in a bay with older people and of the same sex

Outpatient appointments

• you may be seen by a nurse specialist/consultant on your own – this does not always have to be the case but it means that if you want to you can speak to a nurse or doctor without your parents being there

In 2013 our patient David Cowan made a video about his transition to the teenage and young adult late effects cancer clinic at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital. The video contains lots of useful tips for patients moving on to adult services.

Who can I talk to if I have any worries about moving to adult services?

You should speak to your nurse specialist first of all, but you can also talk to Anna Ford, the Transition Nurse at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. You can email her at scn-tr.transitionnurse@nhs.net.