Redevelopment of a consultation-liaison service at a tertiary paediatric hospital

This paper aims to describe the way a multidisciplinary team set out to redevelop a consultation-liaison (C-L) service at a tertiary paediatric hospital.

The activities and processes in which the team members engaged were documented within a continuous quality improvement cycle. These activities included literature review, analysis of referral patterns, consultation with extant services, survey of referral sources and consultation with other tertiary paediatric services.

The outcomes of these initiatives were integrated into a re-formulated multidisciplinary team model dedicated to providing C-L services to the paediatric hospital. Significant challenges identified in the initial process were ongoing issues with caseload management and clarification of boundary demarcations.

There has been a gradual acceptance of the new C-L service by medical staff. The structure has resulted in a focused and coordinated C-L team that has contributed to innovations in the C-L process within the hospital.