Complex Health Needs - What does this mean?

[donkeyderby]

I have been sent an invitation through from a local organisation inviting me to a 6 week course in parenting a child with complex health needs. I think I have ticked a box in the past to say ds has CHN, without really knowing what they are!

Ds has SLD, nees all cares, has poor mobility and visual impairment but is currently 'healthy'.

So, can anyone enlighten me? Has DS got complex health needs?

Hi my boys are classed as having complex health needs i think it means they have more than one diagnosis xx

"lurks" interesting question
do you thisk it is cos of the epilepsy.
(hopes so, as then I can use that as another reason for dd not to be moved)

I just googled it. The top (relevant) hit said: "There is no agreed definition of complex health needs among policy makers or professionals."

I'd generally think of it as high dependancy health needs. Either you need suctioning/intubation regularly, or you need turning all night or you need frequent injections or whatever. You spend a lot of time in hospital or at appointments. You send a lot of Christmas cards to medical professionals. You are not just on first name terms with the school nurse, you know her hobbies, the names of her pets and her opinion on a number of the PCTs policies. Your doctor friends half-inch hospital supplies for you. Your DLA claim form went in with various appendixes and attachments explaining medical conditions. Etc. etc.

I don't think it's about how ill you are. It's about how far it infiltrates your daily life.

so being on first name terms with the chemist is one?

yeah we get labelled this and access support from pct child complex care team

dd has loads of stuff going on - metabolic, hormonal, heart, lungs, kidneys, prob seizures, leukodystrophy, laryngomalacia etc etc. Then there's the sensory, physical and learning stuff as well which i guess makes it more complex as she cannot communicate

haha r3dh3d - think that's a pretty bang on definition. Add to that - nurses at hospital always say see you soon at discharge - then look a bit awkward!

I am guessing that DS doesn't have complex health needs, just complex needs, though forgot to add mild epilepsy to the list and he's had ops and treatments and therapies for his eyes and legs. He's just not ill. I wonder how many health needs you have to have before you tick the Complex Health Needs box....not that it's something I'm aiming for you understand!?

The WHO definition of health as "a state of complete physical, social and mental well being, not merely the absence of illness or disease or infirmity" would have it that we all have complex health needs presumably since this state of perfection is impossible to achieve.

Herjazz, I can absolutely see that your dd would fit the bill

the post from r3dh3d made me laugh (hollow laugh) . this chimes so exactly with my child and her complex health needs. personally I applaud this description as it helps me get care at home, statementing, direct access to local HDU, etc. Add to list: familiar with local ambulance crews; know time to all local hospitals; one whole room at home turned over to storing health care products including two dalek sized oxygen concentrators.... r3 how old is your complex health needs child, out of interest? PS mine has a type of muscular dystrophy; full time electric wheelchair; full time tracheostomy ventilated; spinal rods; gastrostomy ... and is at mainstream secondary school. Hey ho.

I like r3dhed's definition the best!!!

But for social services it can mean different things to what the medics take it as.