NHS Cleft Teams
What is the Cleft Lip and Palate Service?
The NHS Cleft Lip and Palate Service provides specialist support and clinical care to people with cleft lip and/or palate and their families from diagnosis to adulthood. Adult patients who have received surgery in the past may return for further treatment at any age. Psychological support and genetic counselling is also available for families of people with cleft lip and/or palate.
There are 9 Cleft Services around the UK. Within these, there are individual Cleft Units (or Cleft Centres) within hospitals which are staffed by Cleft Teams. These teams of cleft specialists are sometimes called ‘Multidisciplinary Teams’ or ‘MDT’s, which simply means there are a number of specialists from different disciplines (e.g. plastic surgery, dentistry, psychology) all working together. These centres are supported by local cleft clinics around the region.
A Cleft Team should be made up of the following cleft specialists:
- Lead Cleft Surgeon
- Lead Paediatric Anaesthetist
- Lead Specialist in Paediatric Dentistry
- Lead Consultant Orthodontist
- Lead Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
- Lead Consultant Paediatrician
- Lead Consultant ENT (Ear,Nose & Throat) Surgeon and/or Audiological Physician / Paediatric Audiologist
- Lead Consultant/Clinical Nurse Specialist (sometimes called a ‘Cleft Nurse’)
- Lead Clinical Psychologist
- Lead Consultant Restorative Dentist
- Lead Consultant Clinical Geneticist
The specialists in each team, as well as where they are based and what they do, will vary from place to place.
Contacting a Cleft Team
Like most NHS specialist services, Cleft Teams usually need a referral from another service like a GP or midwife in order to take on new patients.
Newly diagnosed babies, and expectant parents who have just received a diagnosis, should be referred to their nearest Cleft Team very quickly, usually within 24 hours.
Older children with a late diagnosis of cleft palate may get a referral from their GP.
Adults or anyone who has left the service will usually need to get a referral from their GP or dentist for further specialist treatment. More information.
Find Your Cleft Team
Non-UK Cleft Services
Children’s University Hospital
Temple Street, Dublin 1
Ms Anne McGillivary (Cleft & Craniofacial Service Manager) T: 00 353 1 8784882/ 00 353 879888725 Email: [email protected]
Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin
Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin 12, IRELAND View Map
Laura Duggan (Cleft Coordinator) T: 00 353 1 4162832
St James’s Hospital
Temple Street , Dublin 1, Republic of Ireland
Ms Laura Duggan (Cleft Coordinator) T: 00 353 1 4162832