We are a registered charity set up in 1990 in Newcastle upon Tyne, at a time when the North East had the worst levels of child health in the country (Government report Health of the Nation 1990).

A cleft lip is a gap in the upper lip and a cleft palate is a gap in the roof of the mouth.

We also see people who may be experiencing speech problems related to how well their palate is working for speech even when there is no obvious cleft palate.

Our service is operated by an experienced team of specialists from a range of clinical disciplines, including:

Our dermatology department is child friendly and we have a highly skilled team of Nurse Specialists and a Nursery Nurse to help distract our young patients.

We know that coming into hospital can often be upsetting for children and their parents. To help make your child’s experience as stress free as possible, we have a special clinic just for children in our Dermatology Outpatient Department.

Most of our patients are referred to us by GPs, but we also see patients from other hospitals across the region.

Our dermatology experts in Newcastle help to diagnose and treat hundreds of patients every year and care for both adults and children.

They run a number of general and specialist dermatology clinics and deal with a wide range of conditions and diseases affecting the skin, mucous membranes, hair and nails.

Some of our specialists also perform dermatological surgical procedures such as Mohs micrographic surgery (a type of surgery for removing certain types of skin cancer), laser surgery and some cosmetic surgery.

Antenatal refers to the period of time from when you get pregnant up to the point you go into labour. Regular antenatal appointments help us to ensure that you and your baby are healthy. It will also help us to recognise when input from our specialist antenatal services might be necessary.

Our expertise is recognised across the region for our skills, facilities and specialist services. We provide a range of emergency and non-emergency services for both children and adults, these include:

Newcastle’s Endocrine surgery department provides first-class care for patients who need surgical treatment for benign and malignant conditions affecting the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands.

The team looks after both adults and children, and works closely alongside endocrinologists, ENT surgeons, oncologists (cancer specialists), radiologists and pathologists, and our clinical nurse specialists. This multidisciplinary approach ensures each patient we see is provided with a treatment pathway tailored to their particular condition.

We treat patients who need elective surgery in addition to emergency cases.

The centre, based at the Claremont Wing at the RVI, has state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment facilities for medical and surgical conditions affecting the eye, including:

The Fracture Clinic is based in the New Victoria Wing at the Royal Victoria Infirmary and provides an outpatient service for both children and adults, usually following a bone fracture.

You can be referred to this clinic by your GP, or you may be sent here following a visit to either the Emergency Department, Walk in Centre or Minor Injury Unit. 

Nurse Practitioners run special clinics to review patients with fractures, in particular those who have fractured a hip.

The Great North Children's Hospital provides the full range of children's health services, all tailored to each and every child - we call this patient-centred care.

The Public Health School Nursing Service works together with children, young people and their parents/carers to provide a comprehensive efficient and accessible service.  We offer health assessment at transition points throughout a child’s life.

The health visitor’s role starts during pregnancy and continues to offer support through the first few weeks after the birth and all the way through until early childhood.

All health visitors are nurses or midwives with specialist training in family and community health. They work with parents and their families to improve health and wellbeing.

Our maternity services are based at the Royal Victoria Infirmary. We have one of the biggest maternity units in the UK.

Maternity Voices Partnership (MVP) is an NHS working group: a team of women and their families, commissioners, midwives, doctors and health care professionals working together to review and contribute to the development of local maternity care.

Every year, as part of the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP), children in reception class (aged four to five years) and Year Six (aged 10 to 11 years) have their height and weight measured during the school year.

If you have a condition affecting your mouth, jaw, neck, cheekbones, forehead or face you will be seen by a member of our specialist oral and maxillofacial surgery team.

You may also be referred to us if via our Emergency Department (A&E) if you have a facial injury, and require further treatment or reconstructive surgery.

You will be referred to one of our specialist clinics if you:

The Oral Healthcare Unit is based at the Freeman Hospital and provides specialist oral healthcare and advice for child and adult patients with congenital heart disease – this includes patients who require, or have had a heart transplant.

Our oral medicine department specialises in investigating and treating a whole range of disorders that involve the lining of the mouth (oral mucosa). We also see patients who are experiencing dryness of the mouth and a variety of other oral complications.

We also investigate and treat patients with chronic oral pain of a non-dental origin.

Our orthodontics service cares for patients who need a brace fitted to help their teeth to move. We have specialist doctors who examine teeth that are not in the correct position (malocclusions).

We have specialist clinics for patients who require treatment for:

Our plastic and reconstructive surgery service helps people who need surgical and medical treatment to restore the appearance and / or function of any part of the body.

School Health drop-in sessions are sessions that are held in school usually during lunchtime or after school. There are no appointments, so you can just turn up and speak with a school nurse on the day.

You may also bring along a friend, as we know meeting someone new for the first time can be a daunting experience.

To learn more, click on the website: Drop-in and 1:1 appointments - Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 

The School Health team works closely with other sexual health services in Newcastle to promote and improve the sexual health and wellbeing of young people.

Members of the School Health team are trained and skilled at engaging, assessing and working with young people around sexual health issues.