At the appointment the child or young person will be seen either by an Orthopaedic consultant or Advance Practice Physiotherapist (APP) depending on the reason for referral.

Whether the appointment is face-to-face or virtual, we will take a history of the issue, discuss any concerns and carry out a physical assessment. It is possible to carry out a thorough physical assessment through the virtual consultation.

Please ensure the young person is wearing suitable clothing to allow a general screening and assessment of the relevant area while maintaining the young person’s privacy and dignity.

If you have been invited to a face-to-face hospital appointment and when you have phoned in and confirmed your clinic appointment, you will then attend the Paediatric Orthopaedic clinic.

If the appointment is going to be virtual, the appointment letter will have instructions on how to access this and if it will be telephone or video.
The outcome of your clinic appointment will be discussed between you and the clinician. Families are routinely copied into all clinic correspondence which will summarise the assessment, discussion and outcome from the appointment.

Here are some of the possible outcomes:

Sent for investigation

The CYP may be sent for an investigation (e.g. X-Ray, MRI, ultrasound scan) This may also occur on the day or be scheduled in a separate appointment.
Following the investigation the clinical team may arrange for a further appointment (face-to-face, by telephone or by video technology) or write to the family with the result.

If you have attended for investigation i.e. MRI/US SCAN and have not heard anything within 6 weeks, please call the Orthopaedic Secretary on 01592 729071 to check if your scan has been reported.

Follow-up appointment

After the consultation it may be decided a review appointment is required. This may be by a face-to-face consultation, by telephone or using video technology (Near Me).

Follow-up appointments can be used to gain further information (i.e. a face-to-face arranged if initial appointment was virtual) to assess response to management suggestions, to assess for progression of a condition or to allow time to reflect on a diagnosis and treatment options.

If you have an appointment for a return visit to the clinic and you are unable to attend please call the booking office on 01592 729000 to arrange an alternative date.

Referred to Allied Health Professional

At the appointment it may be decided that input from another healthcare professional would be of benefit. We work closely with our Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Podiatry and Orthotic colleagues.

Referred to another consultant

After your consultation it may be decided the opinion of another Clinical team is required. This could be to a consultant within the orthopaedic department who have more experience with a specific orthopaedic problem or a consultant in another specialty if the diagnosis is not thought to be orthopaedic in nature.

Referred for second opinion

After your consultation it may be decided that another clinical opinion is required. This occurs when the reason for referral or the treatment of that condition is complex. It may be required when the best treatment is unclear or carries significant risks. It may also be required when the treatment itself may be challenging due to other medical issues.

Added to procedure or surgical waiting list

Once the consultation has been completed, it may be agreed that the CYP could benefit from an intervention such as stretching casts, target injections for focal spasticity (see Life-long conditions for further information) or surgery.

Paediatric orthopaedic surgery for CYP seen in NHS Fife takes place at RHSC Edinburgh.

Waiting times for surgery vary depending on what operation is required. You will be contacted and offered a date for your child’s surgery. They may be asked to attend a pre-assessment clinic prior to their surgery.

Discharged

After the consultation the clinical team may discharge the CYP from clinic once we have offered an opinion and management plan. In some cases, there may not be an orthopaedic solution for the problem. Should you wish a further appointment then a new referral would be required.

Parent / carer responsibilities

As a parent/carer you have a responsibility to:

  • Keep agreed hospital appointments and admissions
  • Let us know of need to cancel an appointment or admission
  • Let us know of unavailability for periods of time
  • Let us know of changes in name, address or telephone details

Patient hospital transport

For information and booking of patient transport please contact hospital contact directly on 0300 123 1236.