Royal Hospital for Children for Patients, Carers & Visitors
If your child has been in contact with, or is recovering from, an infectious disease like COVID-19, chicken pox or measles or has had any recent illnesses such as a fever, diarrhoea, vomiting or any new rashes or spots (unrelated to their condition), please phone 0141 452 4113 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. Ask to speak to one of the staff nurses, who will let you know whether we need to re-arrange the appointment for when your child is better.
Coming to an outpatient appointment at the hospital
Warning
Preparing for your child’s outpatient appointment
If your child has been offered an appointment for one of our clinical services you will have received a letter, text message or phone call.
It’s important you check the location of your appointment very carefully.
Our Outpatient Appointments are held in a number of locations:
- The Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow
- Other hospital locations across Greater Glasgow & Clyde (GGC)
- Local healthcare centres and community locations across GGC
- Shared Care clinics are carried out throughout Scotland
- Remotely via telephone call or Attend Anywhere video call. If your letter tells you that your appointment will be delivered remotely, you can find more information here.
See also: Cancelling or rearranging an appointment or admission
If you need help with any of the following please telephone the number on your appointment letter:
- Sight or hearing
- Require an interpreter
- Mobility, specialised equipment
- Any other need.
Our outpatient areas can be very busy at times.
To make sure we have enough seating for everyone in our waiting area please can we ask that any additional adult family members (who are not accompanying your child into their appointment) wait in one of our refreshment areas.
- Your child’s appointment letter
- A note of all medicines your child is currently taking including any vitamins, herbal, homeopathic or alternative remedies
- Repeat prescription list (if any)
- Any questions you may have for the doctor (You may want to write these down to help you remember. This page from the NHS Inform website has suggestions about questions you might like to ask.)
Helping your Child at Hospital Appointments:
There are play facilities in the waiting area however it is a good idea to bring favourite toys, books or hand held games with you to keep your child distracted and relaxed while waiting for their appointment. You may also want to bring a drink and a snack for them.
The information provided in this section is particularly relevant if you are attending the Outpatient Clinics at The Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow.
On entering the hospital please use the hand sanitiser or wash everyone’s hands.
Go to the main reception desk in the Royal Hospital for Children who will check you in, including making sure that your child’s personal details (e.g. address or phone number) are correct, and direct you to your clinic.
If you need assistance or have questions on how to find your way around, our Glasgow Children's Charity Welcome Guides will be happy to help.
Remember to check in at reception and also let staff at the welcome desk for your clinic know that you've arrived.
When you have checked in, we will direct you to a clinic location to wait until you are called. The outpatient waiting area can get very busy. It is important you supervise your child at all times.
If your child is distressed by our busy, noisy waiting area, we have a separate small, quiet waiting area. Please ask a member of clinic staff to direct you to this area until you are called.
If you move from the clinic area, please let staff know so that they can find you if your child is called for their appointment.
We see patients in appointment order. We try hard to see patients on time, but delays may sometimes happen. We will explain any delays.
If you are late for your appointment, we may not be able to see your child on the day and may have to reschedule the appointment.
If you know you are going to be late, it is important to let us know as early as possible so we can give you advice about whether we will be able to see your child.
Your appointment letter will tell you the name of the professional you are seeing and the clinic.
If you are due to see a medical Consultant, you may see the Consultant’s Specialist Registrar instead (an experienced, qualified doctor who works with the Consultant).The Consultant will remain in overall charge of your child’s care and the Specialist Registrar will update them. Your child may be examined by a Nurse Practitioner (an experienced nurse who has undertaken additional training) instead of a doctor.
There are many other professionals who your child may see for specific treatments. These professionals include Dieticians, Physiotherapists, Orthotists, Audiologists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Pharmacists, Psychologists, Neuropsychologists, Liaison Psychiatrists, Nurses, Nurse Specialists, Nurse Therapists, and Play Specialists.
Please plan to spend up to an hour for a face to face appointment.
Telephone and video appointments may vary. Clinicians will try to keep to appointment times as much as possible but, particularly with telephone appointments, times may vary due to clinical pressure.
The Royal Hospital for Children is also a teaching facility. This means that doctors sometimes have medical students present during their clinics. If you would prefer not to have students during your appointment, please inform a member of staff.
At the end of the appointment, we will tell you if we want to see your child again, and if so, when.
In this case, you can go to the reception desk in the main foyer to make another appointment, or a further appointment date and time will be sent to you in the post.
