Refer a child to Acorns Children’s Hospice
We welcome referrals to Acorns Children’s Hospice from across the West Midlands. Referrals are accepted from a pediatrician, nurse or midwife. To meet our criteria babies, children and young people need to be diagnosed with a life limiting or life threatening condition and have not yet reached their 18th birthday.
Acorns hospice acceptance criteria
Together for Short Lives (TfSL) divides children with palliative care needs into four categories:
Category 1: Life threatening conditions for which curative treatment may be feasible but can fail.
Access to palliative care services may be necessary when treatment fails or during an acute crisis, irrespective of the duration of threat to life. On reaching long term emission or following successful curative treatment there is no longer a need for palliative care services. Examples: cancer, irreversible organ failures of heart, liver, kidney.
Category 2: Conditions where premature death is inevitable.
There may be long periods of intensive treatment aimed at prolonging life and allowing participation in normal activities. Examples: cystic fibrosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
Category 3: Progressive conditions without curative treatment options.
Treatment is exclusively palliative and may commonly extend over many years. Examples: batten disease, mucopolysaccharidoses.
Category 4: Irreversible but non-progressive conditions causing severe disability, leading to susceptibility to health complications and likelihood of premature death.
Examples: severe cerebral palsy, multiple disabilities, such as following brain or spinal cord injury, complex health care needs, high risk of an unpredictable life threatening event or episode. Families need to be referred to us by a paediatrician, nurse or midwife.
To refer a child to Acorns, download a referral form
NHS NET email account Admin Manager to the Director of Care’s office: jackie.crossland@nhs.net
Acorns in Birmingham
0121 248 4850
Email form to:
Post form to:
Admin Lead
Acorns in Birmingham
103 Oak Tree Lane
Selly Oak
B29 6HZ
Acorns in the Black Country
01922 422 500
Email form to:
Post form to:
Admin Lead
Acorns in the Black Country
Walstead Road
Walsall
WS5 4LZ
Acorns for the Three Counties
01905 767 676
Email form to:
Post form to:
Admin Lead
Acorns for the Three Counties
350 Bath Road
Worcester
WR5 3EZ
If you have any enquiries about our care services and would like to speak to a member of the hospice team, please contact your local hospice on the telephone number above.
If your referral is for end of life care, please ring the relevant hospice directly. Please note that the email addresses listed below are not monitored 24 hours a day or at the weekends. You may wish to phone the hospice to confirm that your referral has been received.
Acorns Children’s Hospice referral form
If you would like to make a referral to Acorns please download our referral form and email or post to the hospice local to the family, addresses above.
