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.
The model for the Cleft Services in the UK are ‘hub’ hospitals supported by ‘spoke’ clinics in local centres.
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.
For example, the North Thames Cleft Service covers both the Cleft Unit in Great Ormond Street Hospital in London and the Cleft Unit in Broomfield Hospital in Essex, and it is supported by clinics in these hospitals as well as others around the area. Depending on your location, your local clinic may be in the same place as your Cleft Team.
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.
NHS Cleft Services and Teams
Addenbrookes Hospital
Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ View Map
Troy Pullen (Cleft Team Co-ordinator) T: 01223 596 092 or Email troy.pullen@addenbrookes.nhs.uk
Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children
Great Ormond Street , WC1N 3JH View Map
Kirsty-Anne Jasper (Cleft Service Co-ordinator) T: 020 7829 7922 or Email kirsty-anne.jasper@gosh.nhs.uk
St. Andrew’s Centre, Broomfield Hospital
East Wing, Broomfield Hospital, Court Road, Chelmsford CM1 7ET View Map
Karen Wilson (Cleft Coordinator) T: 01245 516 201 or Email to karen.wilson@meht.nhs.uk
Leeds General Infirmary
Great George Street, Leeds View Map
Ms Andrea Nye (Cleft Co-ordinator) T: 0113 3925115
Royal Victoria Infirmary
Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle-upon-Tyne View Map
Stacey Marley (Cleft Coordinator) T: 0191 2820750 or email Stacey.Marley@nuth.nhs.uk
Royal Victoria Hospital
Falls Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland View Map
Pamela Foster (Cleft Lip & Palate Co-ordinator) T: 028 9024 0503
Alder Hey Hospital, Liverpool
Eaton Road, Liverpool , Merseyside, L12 2AP View Map
Miss Hannah Lawless (Cleft Unit Co-ordinator) T: 0151 252 5209 or Email Hannah.lawless@alderhey.nhs.uk
Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital
Oxford road, Manchester View Map
Ms Claire Richardson (Cleft Team Co-ordinator) T: 0161 701 9091 or Email claire.richardson@cmft.nhs.uk
Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh
9 Sciennes Road, Edinburgh View Map
Cleft Team T: 0131 536 0976 or email Pauline.walkingshaw@nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk
Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow
1345 Govan Road, GLASGOW View Map
Erin Ward (Cleft Service Coordinator) T: 0141 451 6524 Email: Erin.Ward@ggc.scot.nhs.uk
St Thomas Hospital
1st Floor, South Wing, St Thomas’ Hospital, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH View Map
Luke Thomas (Assistant Service Manager) T: 020 7188 1321 or Email cleftservices@gstt.nhs.uk
Bristol Dental Hospital
South West Cleft Service, Bristol Dental Hospital, Lower Maudlin Street, BRISTOL View Map
Ms Lesley Sanders ((Cleft Team Co-ordinator)) T: 0117 342 1177 email: lesley.sanders@uhbristol.nhs.uk
Morriston Hospital, Swansea
Morriston, Swansea, SA6 6NL View Map
Ms Andrea Thomas (Cleft Team Co-ordinator) T: 01792 703 810 email: andrea.thomas4@wales.nhs.uk
Covers much of south central England, with Salisbury in the South West and Oxford in the South East of England Regions.
Mr Stephen Robinson (Clinical Director) T: 02392 286099 or Email stephen.robinson@salisbury.nhs.uk
Salisbury District Hospital
Salisbury, Wiltshire View Map
Ms Mary-Ann Brewer (Cleft Service Co-ordinator (Salisbury)) T: 01722 345 521 or Email mary-ann.brewer@salisbury.nhs.uk
The John Radcliffe, Oxford
Headley Way, Headington, Oxford View Map
Mr Steven Berry (Service Co-ordinator (Oxford)) T: 01865 234252 or Email steven.berry@ouh.nhs.uk
Nottingham City Hospital
City Hospital Campus, Hucknall Road , Nottingham , NG5 1PB View Map
Cleft Team T: 0115 9691169 & ask for the cleft team
Birmingham Children’s Hospital (Under 16s)
Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham, B4 6NH View Map
Email cleft.services@bch.nhs.uk
Telephone: 0121 333 8235
Queen Elizabeth Hospital (Over 16s)
Mindelsohn Way, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2GW View Map
Email cleft.services@bch.nhs.uk
Telephone: 0121 627 2000
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: anne.mcgillivary@cuh.ie
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