Please find our Clinic and Office opening hours here
Poole Road Medical Centre, 7 Poole Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5QR
Tel: 01202 743674
Coming for an appointment
Questions from children
What should I tell my son/daughter about coming for an assessment/consultation?
It’s always a tricky question and one we often get asked.
Not all young people cope well with being assessed so we advise that you don’t say that they are coming for a test/assessment/examination or medicalise the matter by saying you are seeing a doctor or going for a consultation. At TCT we do our best to make families feel welcome, comfortable and in relaxed surroundings, and offer support in a positive and friendly way. We also have all sorts of things in our cupboards to play with and occupy youngsters during their visit to us.
You know your child best - some young people cope well with facts, in this case, keep it simple and do not overload them. If they are aware that they are finding things difficult or feel a bit different from their peers this can be a good starting point.
For those who don’t cope so well with facts, some of the following phrases are sometimes helpful when coming to see us:
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For younger children:‘ you know we take the car for a check at the garage – MOT – well our bodies are a bit like that, mummy and daddy get checks like this too so we are going to see a lady who will check on everything (but he/she does it in a really fun way)
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If the young person is aware they are having a few difficulties: ‘we are going to see someone whose job it is to make things easier for people’.
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For therapy assessments for young/mid-aged children: ‘we are going to see a person who is a bit like a detective and uses lots of challenges and clues to see how she can make life easier for you’
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For therapy appointments for younger children: ‘we are going to see ..(name) ...who is going to teach us some new games’.
Car parking
There is plenty of car parking available at the TCT clinic. If it looks busy when you arrive, please wait for a little bit, as the spaces turn around regularly. There are also 2 hours of free parking available on Clarendon Road just along from the clinic.
For our Saturday clinic there is always plenty of space at the front and back of the building.
Finding TCT
Full details on how to find TCT are provided on the Our Practice page. Directions are also available to download here.
Attending the appointment
Anything that you are required to bring to the initial appointment e.g. previous assessments or reports, will be clearly outlined in the first appointment email.
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Who can currently attend an appointment is outlined in our Welcome Instructions here.
Cancellations
Our policy on cancelling appointments is clearly stated in our Terms and Conditions of Payment available to read here.
Payment
Accepted methods of payment are provided in our Terms and Conditions of Payment available to read here.
Registration
The procedure to register with the practice is sent in the initial appointment email. Please find full details here.
Referrals
We are happy to take referrals from any of the following:
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Families - as long as the person has parental responsibility for the young person.
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GP’s
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Consultants
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Other healthcare professionals
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Schools
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Early Years Settings
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Local Authorities
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Charities
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Military Family support and charities
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Adoption Agencies
The referral can be made in writing and posted to us, it can be made by email or it can be made by phone.
Condition
Names
We often get asked about names for conditions and presentations and what is right and what is wrong. The easy answer is there is no right or wrong. However, names do change and are updated and sometimes for reports or more important documents the most up to date term is used rather than the more common name.
Some examples that regularly come up but mean the same thing can be found here.
How much therapy is needed?
How much therapy will I need?
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The easy answer is ‘sorry until we have met you/your child we don’t know’. Each child/family is treated on a bespoke basis. Some of our services offer ‘packages’ of input which are a set number of sessions, but most will offer support based on the young person’s needs after discussion with the family.
ADHD
Diagnosis
What age will you see children for a possible ADHD diagnostic appointment?
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Our Service is offered to children aged 6-17 years of age as long as they are in education. Full details of our ADHD diagnostic service are available here.
Speech & Language Therapy
How often do the sessions need to be?
When you have seen your therapist for an initial assessment they will discuss with you the options for therapy sessions. Some children may need a block of weekly sessions, some may need monthly, fortnightly or termly sessions.
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Do they need a hearing test?
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If you have concerns about their hearing, please make sure they have had a recent hearing test.
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My child has a dummy, is that affecting their talking?
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If a child is talking with a dummy in their mouth, it pushes sounds to the back of their mouth and affects intelligibility. They are less likely to talk when they have their dummy in. There are also implications for dentition as the child gets older.