Inpatient brain injury rehabilitation
All children from birth to 18 years (still at school) in need of neurorehabilitation are considered.
Some children may be triaged to specialist disability specific rehabilitation services, such as dedicated services for cerebral palsy and acquired brain injury within a Level 6 paediatric hospital.
Children admitted for brain injury specialist rehabilitation services have options for receiving decentralised support services closer to home when ready for hospital discharge.
Eligibility criteria are described in in Table 4: Paediatric rehabilitation eligibility criteria.
Community BIRP
In several rural locations these services are co-located with the BIRP adult teams. Metropolitan paediatric BIRP teams initiate referrals internally (inpatient to community) and support transfer of care to rural paediatric BIRPs.
Ongoing outpatient medical and multidisciplinary clinics are provided in metropolitan and some rural areas.
Referral from metropolitan (level 6) paediatric hospitals to BIRP rural services is based on eligibility criteria at each BIRP location. Inclusion and exclusion criteria exist to manage client needs within resources. These are provided in Table 4: Paediatric rehabilitation eligibility criteria.
| Service | Age | Conditions | Other details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illawarra Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service (Port Kembla) | 5-18 and still attending school | TBI, non-degenerative ABI after birth | The brain injury must be the primary diagnosis and the client’s issues should be related to this |
| Paediatric Brain Injury Rehabilitation Team (John Hunter Children’s Hospital) | 0-16 | Acquired and TBI | Medical referral required |
| Mid-North Coast Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service (Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie) | 5-18 | TBI | ABI if capacity available |
| Mid-Western Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service (Bathurst) | 5-16 | Prioritise TBI ABI (will review on a case-by-case basis) | Functional, cognitive and psychological rehab goals identified. Capacity of family to self-manage care and rehab |
| New England Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service (Tamworth) | 0-18 | Prioritise TBI ABI (will review on a case-by-case basis) | |
| Southern Area Brain Injury Service (Goulburn) | From 5 years to leaving school age | Prioritise TBI ABI (will review on a (case-by-case basis) | Must have identifiable rehab goals, otherwise on a consultancy basis |
| South Western Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service (Albury) | 3-18 (school age) | Primary diagnosis of TBI | Referral with an acquired brain injury, other than a TBI may be considered at managers discretion Resides in the Murrumbidgee LHD Compensable clients (such as Transport Accident Commission) will be considered from North East Victoria |
| Sydney Children’s Hospital Network (Randwick) | 0-16 | Acquired and TBI | |
| Sydney Children’s Hospital Network (Westmead) | 0-16 | Acquired and TBI | Western Child Health Network |