Children's Health
Consideration is given to children's health under the following:
General Health and Minor Illness
We aim at the Belgrave Clinic to provide a setting that is accessible, friendly and helpful where parents can bring their children for a medical opinion, advice and treatment. Children are welcome at all surgeries and our style is to make them as relaxed as possible for a consultation about which they may be uncertain. There are many young families in the catchment area of the Clinic and the staff is widely experienced in dealing with their needs. The doctors and practice nurse are all paediatrically trained.
Though most presentations with children are for minor illness, the threat of serious conditions like meningitis, pneumonia and dehydration, among others, are very real. Very often there can be uncertainty in the early stages of an illness. We aim to help children and their parents during this difficult stage by offering attentive care and treatment; ongoing communication, by phone or otherwise; easy access to follow up; a clear out of hours service; with final reassurance or early and appropriate referral to the relevant secondary hospital or consultant setting.
The most common presenting conditions for children include:
- Ear, chest, eye and throat infections
- High temperature/non specific viral illness
- Gastroenteritis
- Skin conditions like eczema etc
- Asthma
- Behavioural problems
- Minor trauma
- Lumps, swellings, enlarged glands etc
- Eating problems, abdominal pain
- Urinary tract infections
We are fortunate being based in Dublin 6 to be close to a wide range of excellent paediatric services and consultants. We refer to the three large children's hospitals in the city and the large number of consultants working privately in the area. We are in the catchment area of Lucena Clinic for psychiatric services. We tend to use the laboratory and phlebotomy services based at Our lady's Hospital in Crumlin, it being the closest service to us.
We work closely with the local community paediatric services, and with the local public health nurses in particular. Developmental checks are carried out at the local public health clinics.
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Childhood vaccinations
The Clinic offers, recommends and provides the Childhood Immunisation Programme of the Department of Health and Children. However, we respect the views of some parents who have had reservations about the immunisation process and are very happy to work with them in looking after the medical welfare of their children.
In order to receive their first childhood vaccinations, children must first be reviewed by a doctor in the Clinic. This is very often done at the 6-week check-up. Thereafter, parents can make an appointment with the practice nurse to receive their courses of the 5:1 and meningococcal vaccines. Equally, they can make a routine appointment to see the practice nurse for the MMR vaccine. The booster vaccine at 4-5 years of age is usually given at school. However, some schools in the area seem to get omitted from this plan and individual pupils may also miss the booster. We can give this booster if required.
Some parents like to have their children vaccinated against hepatitis B. This is outside the routine vaccination programme but is quite appropriate. We give this, as we would also give children vaccinations for travel purposes.
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Six week check
This routine examination is carried out by a doctor in the Clinic around the 6th week after the birth of an infant. The exam is covered under the Mother and Child Scheme if the mother has registered. It is an overall review of the newborn to check that there aren't any health problems.
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