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About this service
The Royal Cornwall Hospitals Children’s Paediatrics Services, which are based at Dolphin House, Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske (RCHT), provides integrated services for children, who have physical or sensory difficulties, developmental delay, under-nutrition or excessive weight gain.
The teams are made up of Paediatricians, Psychologists, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Dietitians, Support Staff and Administrative Staff.
Community Paediatricians Neurodevelopmental Service
The team works with children who are not reaching the expected developmental milestones for their age. Typically, this means their progress in areas such as language, mobility; self-care and independent living may be non-typical.
We provide assessment, diagnosis and ongoing coordination of care, alongside our professional colleagues in education and social care. Our service is personalised for each child.
Dietetics and Nutrition Neurodisability Service
Provide individual advice and support to children with neurodevelopmental disorders to address poor growth, nutritional deficiencies, special diets, selective eating, and other diet related issues.
Developmental Pre-Assessment (DPAC) Clinic
Therapists provide a specialist one-off assessment for pre-school aged children who have been referred to the Community Paediatricians due to developmental concerns. They provide a comprehensive developmental assessment in preparation for a child’s initial consultation with the Community Paediatrician.
Infant Hip Screening
A ‘one stop’ clinic for infants offering clinical assessment, ultrasound examination, diagnosis and treatment of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) , a condition where the ball and socket hip joint fails to develop normally.
Neonatal In-patient and Out-patient Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
Specialist neurological and developmental assessment, monitoring and treatment for ‘high-risk’ neonatal babies. Service includes in-reach onto the neonatal unit and outpatient clinics at Dolphin House post discharge for babies under 4 months of age.
Occupational Therapy
Assessment, support, and advice with daily activities including developing independence with eating, dressing and personal care, hand skills, co-ordination, sensory strategies, positioning, seating, and child development.
Orthotics
Details to be confirmed
Paediatric Psychological Services
We offer support to children, young people, families and medical teams across our commissioned services (Diabetes, Cystic Fibrosis, Cleft, Lip and Palate, Oncology, Epilepsy, Chronic Pain, Chronic fatigue and Neonates). This may include navigating a new diagnosis, struggling with procedures or treatments, managing the impact of your condition or it’s treatment, managing the impact on your relationships with others and supporting independence, amongst other things.
Physiotherapy Neurodevelopmental
Assessment and support with movement skills, balance, exercises, stretching, hydrotherapy, and walking development.
Physiotherapy Orthopaedic
The Paediatric Orthopaedic Physiotherapy service treat children aged 0-18 years. We assess and treat all children who present with paediatric specific orthopaedic conditions.
Steps to Eating Programme
Steps to Eating Programme (STEP) offer free training to support staff working with families whose children have selective eating. The programme has a structured approach for working with children with selective eating in a variety of settings.
Weight Management
Our weight management team work with children and young people who are significantly overweight. The team offer a multi-disciplinary Lifestyles, Eating & Activity for Families (LEAF) Programme for children aged 0 to 6 and a Complications of Excess Weight (CEW) Programme for children aged 7 to 18. We also provide support and training for professionals working with children and families around weight management and lifestyle adv
Contact information
Telephone:
- Dolphin House Reception: 01872 253880
- Community Therapy Medical Secretary: 01872 254531
- Community Paediatrics Medical Secretary: 01872 254518
- Infant Hip Screening: 01736 758892
- Orthotics: 01872 487300
- Orthopaedic Physiotherapy: 01736 758846
- Paediatric Psychology: 01872 255492
Email:
- Email CCTS: rch-tr.ChildrensCommunityTherapy@nhs.net
- Email CEW: plh-tr.cewservice@nhs.net
- Email LEAF: rcht.leaf.programme@nhs.net
- Email STEP: rcht.step@nhs.net
- Email Paediatrics: rch-tr.CommunityPaediatricTeam@nhs.net
Where to find us
Dolphin House is situated opposite the Duchy Hospital on the RCH site (5). There is very limited patient parking outside of Dolphin House, which you are welcome to use if available.
You will need to register your vehicle on a parking app inside the building and parking is for a two-hour period.
Parking is also available in either of the two hospital carparks, the nearest one to Dolphin House being the overflow visitor’s carpark situated next to the Pendragon Buildings.
Page last reviewed: 19 September 2025