A new children’s clinic in York is proving so successful it has already expanded its service, with an earlier opening time of  2:30pm Monday to Friday.

The new ‘Children's Ambulatory Treatment Hub’ (CAT Hub) is a collaboration between York and Scarborough Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Vale of York Clinical Commissioning Group and Nimbuscare. 

This innovative pilot scheme aims to prevent babies and young children coming into hospital unnecessarily with respiratory illnesses.

The dedicated GP and paediatric nurse-led service is now available for babies and children from 3 months to five years of age with all respiratory illness, including croup, bronchiolitis and viral wheezing.

Parents and carers must first contact the child’s GP for an initial assessment who can refer to the clinic if appropriate.

They will then be seen by an experienced children’s nurse, working alongside a GP, in a child and family-friendly ‘Hub’ at Askham Bar.

Dr Rebecca Brown, clinical lead for the Children's Ambulatory Treatment Hub, explained: “Since launching a few weeks ago, we are adapting the service to meet the needs of local families and have already expanded to include children up to 5 years and we are offering earlier appointments starting at 2:30pm until 8:30pm.

 “And we are happy to see babies and young children with all respiratory illnesses now, including Croup, Bronchiolitis and what we call ‘Pre-school Wheeze’ which is a type of breathing difficulty which young children often get.

 “It’s important that parents and carers seek advice from their GP first if they are concerned– this way they can come to see us, rather than blocking up the Emergency Department at the hospital.”

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