Transitioning from children’s to adults’ healthcare services can be daunting for many young people, however a nurse at RJAH is there to support.

Sarah Ford, who is the Trust’s dedicated Transition Nurse, supports children and young people with long-term conditions to move to adult care services.

Transition is a gradual process that gives the patient and their families or carers the time to get ready and discuss the future in adult services.

Sarah said: “The transfer of moving to other services for these patients can often be difficult and scary – for as long as they can remember they have been looked after by the same nurses, therapists, and doctors.

“To support patients, I use the Ready Steady Go programme – this is a holistic approach to preparing patients for adult services which covers a range of topics such as managing your emotions, asking patients to state whether they would like further support to questions such as dealing with bullying and being happy with life among more.

“I go through the paper work with the patients - either on their own or with parents – and depending on the answers and the patients’ needs, I’m able to talk to the patient to relieve any anxieties, signpost to other resources or even, if relevant, refer to mental health services.”

Sarah has had feedback from patients about how her role has made a positive impact on their mental health, which she described as the ‘most rewarding’ part of her job.