Transition Care at Alexander Devine

This month we’ve been sharing details of our transition service. When a child reaches the age of 14 or 15, we start talking to the child and their family about their needs, wishes and hopes for support when they ‘transition’. Transition is a planned and gradual move from children’s hospice services to adult services and is part of the holistic package of care we offer local families. 

We understand this can be a challenging time for young people and their families, particularly as adult care services are arranged differently to children’s services. This is why we have a dedicated team to support young people and their family at every step of this transition process, fronted by our Transition Lead, Cheryl.  

Cheryl helps answer any questions the young person may have but she also: 

• provides support on those difficult legal topics including consent to treatment, power of attorney and deputyship. 

• works with the professionals already involved in the young person’s care and those who might start to work with the young person and the family to help co-ordinate services. 

• refers the young person and their family to our Family Support Team, to help effectively manage any anxieties relating to transition. 

Habibah has been an inspiration in shaping the transition support we offer at Alexander Devine. Her dedication to making sure young people and families feel heard and supported is truly remarkable. From improving our transition pathway and leaflets to giving invaluable feedback, her insight has helped us create meaningful and effective resources. She has worked tirelessly to ensure that transition support is the best it can be, and we are so grateful for everything she has done. 

A family we supported through transition told us, “Our experience of the transition service is simply amazing. Not only did they discuss the future steps and transition support for my daughter, but they also picked up on my low feelings and referred me to the hospice’s Family Support Team. Everything was helpful; supporting my daughter to move to adult hospice services, initiating and managing day care at a local adult hospice and helping me to transition emotionally into my daughter’s adult life and accept the changes.”