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Letter to parents and carers

We are sorry if your child’s treatment has been delayed and we want to assure you that your child has not been forgotten.

We are working hard to ensure that children and young people get the care they need as quickly as possible.

While you continue to wait for confirmation of a date for your child’s procedure, we would like to reassure you of our commitment to providing children and young people with the care they need as soon as possible. We have put in place a range of measures to reduce longer waiting times and our clinical teams are steadily progressing patients who are waiting in order of their clinical need.

Please let us know whether your child’s needs have changed since we last wrote to you, or if you have concerns about your continued wait. It is important to let us know if:

1. Your child’s condition has not changed, and you would like for them to remain on the waiting list.
2. You no longer wish for your child to have the procedure and would like for them to be discharged.
3. You wish to have your child’s procedure delayed for personal or social reasons.
4. Your child has had the procedure completed elsewhere and therefore no longer needs to be on our waiting list.

Please be aware that any requests to delay or cancel planned treatment will be subject to a review by a clinician before agreement. We will not be discharging patients unless it is safe to do so and it is in their best interests.

Should your child’s symptoms worsen, now or in the future, it is very important that you contact the clinical team caring for your child immediately via the contact details at the top of your letter or via our hospital switchboard on 0114 271 7000.

In the interim, while you wait, we have put together a range of advice to ensure your child is ready for treatment when a date becomes available. 

Thank you for your help and thank you for bearing with us at this difficult time. We really appreciate your support and want to assure you that your family’s continued well-being remains a priority for us.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Jeff Perring
Medical Director

Useful contact details:

• Should your child’s symptoms/condition have worsened please contact your clinical team via the switchboard at Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust on 0114 271 7000.
• If you need any advice or have concerns about the care the Trust provides, please contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Manager on 0114 271 7594 or email: scn-tr.pals@nhs.net