General Surgery

Paediatric and Neonatal Surgery

Paediatric and neonatal surgical services at the Jenny Lind Children’s Hospital are provided by four consultant paediatric and neonatal surgeons along with team of junior doctors, outreach nurses to provide a comprehensive 24/7

service. We provide care for various subspecialities within paediatric surgery including neonatal surgery, gastrointestinal surgery including endoscopy, thoracic surgery and paediatric urology.

Besides 24/7 cover for acute paediatric surgical emergencies we provide following services:

  • Feeding procedures for neurologically impaired children including pH studies, gastrostomy, gastrojejunal feeding devices, fundoplication and other surgery
  • Surgical management for intractable constipation with ACE procedure and CHAIT tubes
  • Thoracic and thoracoscopic surgery for conditions like empyema
  • Outpatient tongue tie release service for neoanatal age group who have feeding difficulties
  • Paediatric trauma care

The unit has particular expertise in:

Laparoscopic (key hole) surgery

The unit provides laparoscopic management for various childhood and neonatal surgical disorders. We undertake varying degrees on major and minor procedure laparoscopically which include laparoscopic pyloromyotomy, hernial repair, pull through procedures for Hirschsprung’s disease, fundoplications beside other.

We have proven these procedures to safe and effective in decreasing pain in children and providing early discharge. Acute emergencies like appendicectomies are mostly managed laparoscopically as well.

Neonatal Surgery

The department has vast experience and expertise in management neonatal surgery of varying complexities. Accompanying level 3 neonatal unit attracts patients from various regions of East Anglia. Along with neonatologists and gastroenterologists we have successfully managed short gut patients and complex neonatal surgical conditions.

Paediatric Endoscopy and Inflammatory Bowel Services

The unit runs an upper as well as lower gastrointestinal endoscopy service along with paediatric gastroenterologists and has expertise in surgical management of inflammatory bowel disease.

We have strong links with Great Ormond Street Hospital and Nottingham University Hospital to provide a comprehensive care for children with need for quaternary care.

We provide specialist tertiary care for children’s surgery for children in Norfolk and some areas of Suffolk. We provide outreach clinics at James Paget University Hospital (monthly), Ipswich Hospital (every two months) and Queen Elizabeth Hospital at King’s Lynn (every two months). We have established arrangements to smooth the transition of care from paediatric age group to adult services.

Inpatient Care is provided in Buxton ward while the outpatient clinics are mainly held in Jenny Lind Outpatients with outreach clinics at surrounding hospitals. Day admissions are undertaken either in Children’s Day Ward or the Children’s Day Procedure Unit. We have dedicated theatre for children’s surgery and day procedures. Neonates are looked after on the Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at NNUH.

Clinical Research

The unit is very active in clinical research and has presented many papers over few years at various national and international conferences. Monthly research and audit meetings are held to promote research and improve quality outcomes.

The unit hosted an international conference on Hypospadias and Intersex disorders in Children in September 2011. The clinical research is conducted in areas of hypospadias surgery to improve patient experience, laparoscopic surgery to look at safety and efficacy of these procedures in children.

List of research presentation and publications can be found below. The unit has access to monthly endoscopic training sessions which provides excellent opportunity for trainees to improve their skills

For health care professionals

The department accepts primary care referrals from GPs and referrals from paediatricians, general surgeons and urologists from secondary care in the region of East Anglia. We undertake clinics at NNUH, James Paget University Hospital , Queen Elizabeth Hospital  in King’s Lynn and Ipswich Hospital .

Contact us

Department of Paediatric Surgery and Urology
Level 3, West Block
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital
Colney Lane
Norwich
NR4 7UY

Telephone: 01603 286348 / 01603 286149 / 01603 286356

Email: paed.surgery@nnuh.nhs.uk

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