Read through our FAQs below to find the answers you need to some of the most common questions we’re asked.
To register with a GP, you’ll need to submit a GP registration form to the GP practice/surgery.
The surgery should provide you with the form, or you can download the registration form from NHS Choices.
Parents or guardians can register a baby at a practice by completing and presenting form FP58 (PDF, 34kb), which is issued at the same time as a birth certificate.
If you need help urgently or outside of normal working hours, you can search for local walk-in clinics or call NHS 111 for advice.
To register with a dentist, you choose either a private dentist, where you pay for your own treatment, or an NHS dentist, where treatment is free for some people, including children, low-waged or unemployed people, the elderly and pregnant women.
If you want to find and register with an NHS dentist, you can search using the NHS Choices Dentist Finder.
If you think you need urgent dental care, contact your usual dentist as some practices offer emergency dental slots and will provide care if clinically necessary. You can also call NHS 111, who can put you in touch with an urgent dental service.
To access our children’s services, the young person must be registered with a GP.
When we receive your referral, we assess the needs of the child through our triage team. It’s often possible to provide advice over the phone and a clinic appointment might not always be necessary.
If an appointment is required, we’ll always work to see children and young people as quickly as we can, depending on urgency.
There are a large number of specialist organisations in Berkshire that can help you by providing advice and support, therapy and putting you in contact with other people in your situation. There are six Local Authorities (councils) in Berkshire, all of which supply a list of local organisations who can help you.
Our Children, Young People and Families services provide care and support up to the age of 18 or 19, depending on the service. We prepare young people for the transition to adult services so that they and their families know what to expect.
To prepare young people for the changes they’ll experience when they join the appropriate adult service, we use a programme of support called Ready, Steady, Go.
Ready: when your child is around 11, we’ll start to talk about what will happen when they move to adult services.
Steady: when your child is 15, we’ll start to plan the move to adult services.
Go: your son or daughter will transition to adult services with our full support and with access to a named professional to answer any queries or concerns.
Your child’s nursery, school or college will often be able to meet children’s Special Educational Needs (SEN) through the SEN support within the school (including their own resources and external professionals regularly coming into the school/college, for example speech and language therapists or educational psychologists).
Sometimes a child or young person might need a higher level of specialist support. If this is the case, the nursery, school or college can apply to their local authority for an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). As a Trust, we are asked regularly to contribute to the assessment and development of EHCPs for children and young people. Speak to your child’s school or nursery in the first instance.
If you feel your child needs extra support, speak to their teacher or the school’s special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) who will be able to advise and make a referral to other services if necessary.
When your child uses our services we’ll ask for, and record, their personal and health information, this will help us treat them now and in the future. We may share information with other professionals involved with your child to provide them with the best care possible and make sure their needs are understood and met. Only information that is required and appropriate to support care and treatment will be provided and we will discuss this with you before we do so. However, if we’re concerned for a child or young person’s immediate safety, or think they may cause harm to others, we might have to discuss these concerns with others before we’ve spoken to you.
It’s important that a child or young person receiving help from us – whether it’s physical and/or mental health services – is also supported at home and school. You can find advice on various conditions in our Support and Advice section. While we’ve done our best to cover as many topics as we can, we’ll continue to grow and develop this resource. Feel free to contact us if you feel something is missing.
You should also talk to your child about how they feel you might be able to help. Everybody is different and has different needs. While some children and young people are happy to progress with therapy, others will want to talk it through with you.
If you have any questions, you can ask your therapist for advice. They might be able to suggest some strategies you can do at home.
We have recently launched our Integrated Assessment and Care service. This means that, where appropriate, your child will be seen at one appointment by a team of professionals from the relevant services. Because no two children are the same, this way of working allows us to treat the child holistically and to make sure that all the services involved work together to come up with the right care package.
When you refer to our services, we will assess (triage) your referral and make sure that the right professionals are involved from the start.
You can find the latest information about COVID-19 on the NHS England website and on the Berkshire Healthcare website.
If you need help with a health issue for your child or yourself, visit the NHS 111 online service
If you have any symptoms of COVID-19 please inform reception or the department you are visiting. Practice good hand hygiene and wear a facemask if you have respiratory symptoms.
Find out more about coronavirus symptoms on NHS website
We have lots of information on about the Covid-19 vaccination programme on our Berkshire Healthcare website.
As you find yourself or your child recovering from COVID-19 you may still be coming to terms with the impact the virus has had on yours and their body and mind.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust website has been created to help with recovery after being discharged from hospital following COVID-19 treatment. It also be used if you or your child has remained at home during treatment and recovery.
The information is to be used as a guide only. It shouldn’t replace any individual advice you may have received on discharge from hospital. If you have any concerns about ongoing or worsening symptoms, please contact NHS 111.