Moving to adult health services

Moving to adult health services

When you turn 14, it’s a good time to start thinking about the health services you will need as an adult.

You can talk to your doctor and any specialists about your move to adult services. They can help you:

• learn about your condition and treatment
• feel confident to ask questions and make decisions about your care
• understand when to get help and who to contact in an emergency

By the time you turn 18, you will usually have fully moved into adult health services.

The Ready Steady Go programme

Some of our Berkshire West health services use a programme called Ready Steady Go: Hello to adult services.

The programme is for any young person with a long-term condition. It offers guides and resources to help you learn how to manage your condition as you move to adult health services.

Watch the Ready, Steady, Go video on supporting the transition to adult care on YouTube.

The Community Team for People with a Learning Disability (CTPLD)

When you become an adult, CTPLD can give you advice about treatments and therapies including:

• occupational therapy
• physiotherapy
• speech and language therapy
• behaviour concerns or anxiety

They also work with social workers to make sure you are getting the best support. You can refer yourself, or your family or health professional can refer you to CTPLD.

Find out more about how CTPLD can support you on the NHS Berkshire Healthcare website.

If you have a continuing care package

The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West Integrated Care Board (ICB) will support your transition into adult health services. They will work with you and other services involved in your care to find the best way to support you.

Before you turn 18 years old:

• your care support will be reviewed to make sure you are supported in the best way into adulthood
• you will be referred to the NHS Continuing Healthcare Team

If you no longer require support from the Continuing Healthcare Team, your care needs will be transferred to adult social care for assessment.

If someone can’t make their own decisions

You can apply to be someone’s deputy if they aren’t able to make a decision when it needs to be made.

As their deputy, you’ll be legally allowed to make decisions for them, in their best interests.

Find out more about deputies on GOV.UK.

You can speak to your child or young person’s social worker or other professionals for advice about deputyship and health matters.