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Dental Service

· Aug 10, 2021 ·

The Dental Service helps children and young people to take care of their teeth, gums and mouth and cares for children who need more specialist treatment or find it difficult to visit a regular family dentist. This might include:

Children with significant health conditions.
Children with diseases, anomalies or trauma affecting their mouth or teeth.
Children who need to be seen for longer and at a slower pace than a family dentist.
Children with anxiety, physical or intellectual disabilities or complex needs.
Young children unable to cope with treatment at their family dentist.

Children and young people can be referred to the Dental Service within NHS Lothian by their family dentist, doctor or by an orthodontist. We understand that children and young people can feel worried or scared before visiting the dentist. All of our staff are used to working with young patients and helping them to stay calm and relaxed. We are also happy to answer any questions you might have.

We have several different places where you may be seen for your dental treatment. Explore the links below for more information about:

Your visit to the dentist
Our dental clinics
Dental treatment under sedation
Dental treatment under general anaesthetic
Tips for looking after your teeth
Dentistry and Autism- resources for neurodiverse patients

Melville Unit

· Jul 14, 2021 ·

The Melville Unit is a brand new, purpose-built facility for children and young people in the Lothian region at the Royal Hospital for Children & Young People (RHCYP) in Edinburgh.

Located on the ground floor, young people and their families should use the main RHCYP entrance and follow signage for the ‘Melville Unit’.

Melville Unit reception 0131 312 0050
Melville Unit In-patient Team 0131 312 0030

There are consultation rooms for outpatient appointments, spaces for group meetings and individual consultations, as well as a dedicated in-patient unit with space for 12 young people at a time. Sometimes it might be helpful to have a think about any questions you’d like to ask before you come – or write them down and bring them with you. If you have any questions about your visit before you arrive, please contact our appointments desk and Melville Unit reception on the number above. The people involved in your care will also be pleased to help answer any questions you have and, if necessary, talk to other members of your family. We are committed to making sure that the care and treatment you receive is of the highest possible standard.

Melville Unit In-patient Unit

The In-patient unit is a purpose-built area designed for children and young people, with bright, welcoming spaces and a courtyard garden. There are 12 bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom as well as comfortable common rooms including a main living area, snack pantry and a separate quiet room. Watch our video tour to take a look inside.

Download our information leaflet for young people and families coming to the Melville Unit as an in-patient.

Ear Reconstruction Service

· Jun 24, 2021 ·

The Ear & Atresia Reconstruction Service is a team of specialist healthcare professionals based in Edinburgh, dedicated to providing support, advice and solutions to children whose ears are small (known as microtia), whose ears are misshapen or whose ears don’t hear properly due to a lack of ear canal (known as atresia).
If your child has microtia or atresia and has been referred to our service then we will arrange to see you as soon as possible to discuss what this means and to answer any questions you might have. Patients are seen from all across Scotland – we understand that travelling to Edinburgh can be difficult and so an appointment might be offered at one of our outreach clinics in Glasgow, Dundee or Inverness if that helps.
Surgical procedures are often available to either change how the ear looks or to improve hearing. The decision-making for each family will be different, with advice and support available at every stage.

Find out more about the Ear Reconstruction Service and how we can help.

Palliative Care

· Jun 24, 2021 ·

What is palliative care?

Palliative care is the active and total care for a child or young person at a time when their illness or disease is no longer responding to treatment that might result in a cure. Children can have a shortened life expectancy, and many of these children receive care and support from the Palliative Care team to help manage their symptoms to live life.

The Palliative Care team based at RHCYP in Edinburgh is a specialist service that looks after babies, children and young people and their families who are facing difficult decisions. Paediatric (children’s) palliative care is different to adult palliative care. The team can be involved with families in lots of different circumstances and in every case our aim is find a way through.

The Palliative Care team will support families when:

children and young people are very sick and there is uncertainty about their survival.
children have a shortened life expectancy and are becoming more unstable, to help prioritise what is important to them and their family.
death is expected in the coming days, weeks or months, to help make end-of-life care as meaningful and as family-centred as possible.

We understand that these can be very difficult circumstances for a family to think about. The palliative care team can bring a number of organisations and specialists together to work for the benefit of children and young people and their families.

Palliative care aims to:

Offer specialist symptom management.
Support decision-making (also known as anticipatory care planning or parallel planning).
Guide end-of-life care planning and bereavement support.

Each child’s needs are different and the palliative care team understands that those needs can change with time and the nature of a child or young person’s illness. The care offered to children and their families is tailored to each individual set of circumstances, taking into consideration a child’s wishes and those of their family. Children can become stable and no longer need the help of the palliative care and are discharged from our team.

Pharmacy Service

· Jun 1, 2021 ·

The Pharmacy Service supplies medicines to children and young people on their wards, or sometimes to other departments where a child is being treated. The main Pharmacy Department is based in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (RIE) building where the dispensary can be found.

Our team of specialist children’s pharmacists and technicians are based in and work all over the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) providing medicines and advice to all of our patients. If a child is prescribed medicines during their inpatient stay or outpatient visit, our specially-trained team will supply and check the medicines and give each family advice, or answer any questions they might have.

We always make sure that medicines are stored safely and that any medicines given to children or young people are supplied safely and effectively, reducing waste wherever we can.

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Melville Unit In-patient Unit

What is palliative care?

More Information

Contact NHS Lothian