Specialist health roles in SEND

The South Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) should provide:

• a Designated Medical Officer (DMO), or
• a Designated Clinical Officer (DCO). 

In South Tyneside we have both a Designated Medical Officer and a Designated Clinical Officer.

They work in close partnership with the Clinical Lead for children with additional needs.

They are clinical (health) champions for children and young people with SEND and their families.  

Together they make sure the health needs of children and young people with SEND are identified and met. 

Responsibilities

They have 3 key areas of responsibility:  

• overseeing health needs in South Tyneside, and the services and support provided
• coordinating service providers and partner organisations
• a strategic role in the joint commissioning of services and co-production (co-production is where service users are involved in creating policies and services)

The Designated Medical Officer (DMO) is a practicing paediatrician based in the South Tyneside and Sunderland Foundation Trust.

With the Clinical Lead, they provide and oversee the Social Communication Clinic for pre-school children.

They also have oversight of the health elements of Education Health and Care Plans, lead on the medical aspect of EHC plans, and sign-off the medical information within them.  

Our Designated Clinical Officer (DCO) is a registered nurse and health visitor.

They work with health and Council partners across the SEND system in South Tyneside. 

Their role is to assure the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) that:

• the statutory (legal) responsibility for SEND is met, and
• children, young people and their families get the best possible care so they can achieve their full potential in life.  

Responsibilities

Their responsibilities include: 

• providing strategic leadership
• making sure the health workforce is engaged and working effectively
• working with South Tyneside Parent Carer Forum, SENDIASS, the Council and schools, and advising on health and where to find information
• working with the SEND team and health providers to improve the co-ordination and quality of Education, Health and Care Plans, and improve communication between services
• identifying key issues around SEND to inform the commissioning (buying) of services
• attending the SEND Panels

The Clinical Lead supports the Designated Medical Officer (DMO) and Designated Clinical Officer (DCO) to make sure the statutory (legal) health requirements for SEND are delivered.

Their role is part of the 0-19 Service.

They:  

• aim to improve outcomes for children and young people, and make sure they achieve their full potential
• provide specialist knowledge and skills to families of children and young people with SEND, and those that work with them.
• promote the early identification of needs, early intervention, the coordinated delivery of services, and clear processes for best practice (pathways)
• empower young people, parents and carers to be at the heart of decision-making by working in partnership 
• promote inclusion across services and activities, with support where needed to make sure children / young people and their families can live happy lives 
• improve access to services, and reduce risks to children / young people and their families  
• raise local and national issues facing children and young people with additional support needs and their families 
• provide expert advice and knowledge to the SEND Panel

They also:

• provide support for specific conditions such as autism, after diagnosis
• give advice and support to partner agencies and colleagues 
• support for practitioners in their lead practitioner role 
• work directly with practitioners and families 

The voices of parents and carers, children and young people, and other practitioners are heard through:

• individual appointments (Designated Medical Officer and the Clinical Lead) 
• bi-monthly SEND Health Café meetings (a meeting of health SEND leads across local health care, chaired by the Designated Clinical Officer) 
• monthly intelligence sharing meetings, where SENDIASS report on individual concerns from parents and emerging themes for commissioners to address (Designated Clinical Officer and the Clinical Lead)
• attending SEND panel (Designated Clinical Officer and the Clinical Lead) 

This information is fed back to commissioners, service leads and governance boards to make sure the needs of parents and carers, children and young people, and other practitioners are heard.