When your child is accepted for respite care at Haven House, you will be invited to have a nursing assessment in the Holistic Care Centre with our experienced assessment nurse.

This will be an opportunity for you to discuss all of your child’s needs including everything from medication, feeding and sleeping to seizure management, bathing and dressing.

This care plan helps us get to know your child and understand their needs before their first stay. 

Your child will be looked after by a team of healthcare professionals led by one of our experienced nurses. That nurse will take overall responsibility to ensure your child’s care plan is up-to-date, liaise with professionals to ensure we have all relevant medical information and will keep in regular contact with you to offer support and advice if needed. 

We understand for some it is a big step to leave your child, as you know them best, which is why we recommend a parent or carer stays on their first visit to help us become familiar with your child and for them to feel comfortable with us. 

Our team is made up of trained nurses, healthcare support workers and student nurses on placement. Your child will have their own dedicated carer for the whole shift who will follow their care plan to ensure they are being looked after - just like at home.

The nurse on duty will also ensure all the children’s medications are given at the same time as they would at home, which will be checked with you on arrival. 

A couple of weeks before your child's stay one of our senior nurses (who oversees medicine management) will ask you to provide a new prescription for their stay. This is so you can check the prescription has all the correct items and doses and we will pass it to our pharmacist who delivers them to us in time for their arrival. 

We also work closely with the palliative care team at Great Ormond Street Hospital, so if your child is looked after by them, we will ensure we have up-to-date symptom management plans to help us look after your child and keep them comfortable.

Our nurses and healthcare support workers are dedicated to ensuring your child’s stay is happy and comfortable. They see to all their needs whether this is medical such as giving medication, or fun such as reading stories, exploring the sensory garden or having a cuddle on the sofa.

Whatever your child needs we will be there to provide it during their stay as they become part of the Haven House family.

To discuss a referral to Haven House services please contact:

Clinical Nurse Manager
020 8506 5524 (Monday - Friday, 9.00am - 5.00pm)
07872 198285 (out-of-hours mobile)

For more information about our referral criteria please visit our Refer a Child section.