Refer

This section provides all the key details to help guide you through the referral process. Whether you're a professional, family member or individual seeking support, we're here to help.

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Refer a child

Supporting children and young people who:

Have a serious or life-limiting condition.
Are aged between 0-25 years (and not older than their 16th birthday when referred, except for specialist nursing care).
Live in Kent, Medway, South East London or East Sussex.
Have a parent or carer with parental responsibility who consents to the referral.

Refer online now Download referral form

Bereavement referral

Our team provides bereavement support for the whole family for as long as they wish.

These referrals can be received up to six months after the child has died if they suffered from a serious of life-limiting condition.

Refer online now Download referral form

Urgent referrals

If there is a need for immediate or short notice support from Demelza, please contact the local lead nurse by telephone first.

This will enable key information to be gathered and support a prompt assessment and admission, where possible. Such referrals may relate to end of life care, use of our bereavement suite or symptom management.

Key contacts:

Kent and Medway - lead nurse: 01795 845200
South East London - lead nurse: 0208 859 9800
East Sussex - lead nurse: 01323 446474

Referrals process

Please note that this process only applies to non-urgent referrals, any referrals for end-of-life care or complex symptom management will need to be discussed with the Lead Nurse by phone first.

1. Complete a referral form

Complete our referral form providing all relevant details. If you need support completing this form, please call 01795 845253. This form can be completed by families or professionals as long as an adult with parental responsibility provides consent.

2. Referral is assessed

Our referral team will gather medical information from professionals working with the referred child before the referral is reviewed by Demelza's senior nursing team. Each referral is carefully considered and assessed. This process can take four to six weeks.

3. Outcome

Families and referrers will be contacted with the outcome of the referral. Unfortunately, we are unable to accept all children referred to us. Please see our criteria for details of who we can support. If you think we may have incorrectly assessed a referral, you can appeal the decision by emailing demelza.referrals@demelza.org.uk stating the reason for the appeal.

4. If the referral is accepted

If accepted, a member of our clinical services team will be in contact to discuss how best Demelza can support. We will also send a welcome pack containing information about Demelza's services.

5. Appeals

Can I appeal this decision? Yes. If you think we may have incorrectly assessed your family you can appeal, or a professional, such as a social worker or nurse, can do this on your behalf.

If you think we may have incorrectly assessed a referral, you can appeal the decision by emailing demelza.referrals@demelza.org.uk stating the reason for the appeal.

All appeals will be reviewed by our senior nursing team which can take up to 25 working days, however we will work to do this sooner if possible.

If you're unsure whether a child meets our criteria, our referral guidance outlines everything you need to know - including eligibility by age, condition and location, as well as pathways for urgent referrals and antenatal support.

Eligibility criteria

Safeguarding is central to every referral we receive. If you're referring a child or family, please take a moment to review our safeguarding framework and meet the team who lead this work.

Safeguarding