Child and Youth Clinical Network for Gastroenterology Services

Purpose of the Network

Established in May 2013, the purpose of this multidisciplinary national Clinical Network is to provide leadership in supporting clinicians working across all healthcare sectors in delivering high quality, cost effective and integrated gastroenterology services for children, young people and their families/whanau. 

This will be achieved through a multi-disciplinary approach with the appointment of a national Clinical Reference Group (CRG). The CRG aims to provide advice on service and treatment issues to key stakeholders including the Paediatric Society of New Zealand (PSNZ) and the Ministry of Health (MoH).

In particular, the Network aspires to foster a culture of a nationally coordinated child and youth appropriate gastroenterology services such as:

• Development of  an infrastructure that supports quality services, safety, equity of service provision and best value  use of resources in the clinical arena

• Implementation of specific workstreams in key areas, including:

  1. Inflammatory bowel disease

  2. Neonatal and paediatric liver disease

  3. Endoscopy services in children

  4. Workforce sustainability planning

  5. Nursing and parent educational resources

• Development of a system for the monitoring and auditing of services to inform continuous quality improvement

• Liaison with national and international bodies with relevance to childhood gastroenterology services

• Development of  a model of care for gastrointestinal and hepatic illness in children

• Establishment of a plan to maximise opportunities to support a workforce education and development.

• Engagement with clinicians throughout New Zealand to ensure robust processes, guidelines and support structures are implemented as soon as resources allow.

The national Clinical Reference Group (CRG) includes the following members: Professor Andrew Day, Gastroenterologist/Hepatologist, Christchurch; David Barker, Paediatrician, Northland; Nikki Blair, Paediatrician, Capital and Coast; Helen Evans, Stephen Mouat, Robert Lopez, Jon Bishop and Amin Roberts, Gastroenterologist/Hepatologists, Starship Child Health; Cate Fraser-Irwin, Clinical Pathway Developer, Starship Child Health; Kim Herbison, Dietitian, Starship Child Health; Sally Jane Lewington, Children's Outreach Nurse, Canterbury; Stephanie Brown, Dietitian, Canterbury; and Amy Andrews, CRG Facilitator and Dietitian, Starship Child Health.

Clinical Guidelines

Clinical Guidelines on Biliary Atresia and Inflammatory Bowel Disease can be found in the Starship Guidelines.

Jaundiced Baby Referral Pathway and Beware Yellow Resources

Access the referral pathway for the baby with jaundice via this link.

Beware Yellow Resources can be downloaded from the IDFNZ website (http://idfnz.org.nz/resources/liver-disease/)

Information on the management of infant and paediatric chronic liver disease

• A parent guide on Biliary Atresia

• A parent guide on Liver Transplant

• A parent guide on Portal Hypertension

• A shared care nursing resource on nursing children with liver disease and liver transplant in New Zealand

Consumer Groups

There are a number of consumer groups who support and advocate for the needs of children, young people and their families with various medical conditions.

Below are the website links to NZ groups relevant to this clinical Network

Kids Foundation for liver disease and transplant http://idfnz.org.nz/resources/about-liver-transplant/

Crohns and Colitis NZ for Inflammatory Bowel Disease https://crohnsandcolitis.org.nz/

Coeliac Disease https://www.coeliac.org.nz/