Transition at Dorset County Hospital
Transition is when a young person moves from Children’s Services to Adult Services.
What this means if you need to come into Dorset County Hospital
Up until you are 18 you will have been seen by a specialist children’s doctor (paediatrician).
When you reach 18 you will be seen in an adult clinic and if you need to come into hospital you will be come in to an adult ward.
Reasonable adjustments
This means hospital staff may need to change the way they work to support you to get the care you need.
This includes things like:
A longer appointment at a time best for you
- Information that is easy to understand.
Flagging
This means that an ‘alert’ can be added to your record to say you have a learning disability.
Hospital staff will know they need to make changes to meet your needs If you would like a flag adding, please let staff know.
This Is Me: My Care Passport
This gives hospital staff important information about you.
You need to show it to staff when you come in for appointment.
Time
You can ask for a time that makes the appointment easier for you.
You can ask for longer appointment time. This will give you time to communicate, understand information and have the support you need to make decisions.
Some people arrange to visit the department a few days before so they know what to expect.
This can help it seem less scary.
Information
If you need information about the hospital or your condition you can ask for ‘Easy Read’ information.
There is some easy information on the hospital website.
Making decisions about your health
When you are an adult you will be able to make decisions about your care and treatment.
Sometimes the decisions are difficult and you may find it hard to understand the information, even when explained in an easy way.
The Mental Capacity Act
This tells health and social care staff that they have to do everything they can to help you understand the decision that needs to be made. If you are still unable to understand then this may mean that you ‘lack capacity’ to make that decision.
When this happens the doctor has to make the decision in your ‘best interests’. This means they have to talk to people who are important to you and who know you well to help make the decision.
Contact us
We hope you found this leaflet helpful.
For further advice and information please contact the Patient
Experience team on 0800 7838058 or email patientexperience@dchft.nhs.uk
Useful websites
Dorset County Hospital: www.dchft.nhs.uk/
Dorset Mental Capacity Act Team: https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/w/mental-capacity-act-team?p_l_back_url=%2Fsearch%3Fq%3DMental%2BCapacity%2BAct%2Bteam
About this leaflet
Author: Jo Findlay Learning Disability and Mental Capacity Act Advisor
Written: August 2020
Approved: August 2020
Review date: August 2023
Edition: v1
If you have feedback regarding the accuracy of the information contained in this leaflet, or if you would like a list of references used to develop this leaflet, please email patientinformation.leaflets@dchft.nhs.uk