The Queensland Paediatric Rehabilitation Service (QPRS) provides children with an acquired brain injury acute, secondary and tertiary rehabilitation. An acquired brain injury is defined as an injury to the brain after a normal neonatal period. Mechanisms for an acquired brain injury in children includes trauma, infection or disease, tumour, hypoxia and stroke.

The Queensland Paediatric Rehabilitation Service (located within the Queensland Children’s Hospital) has a designated inpatient ward, a day hospital ward (Day Rehabilitation Program), an outpatient clinic and therapy rooms. The services available to children with an acquired brain injury in each of these settings are listed below.

Inpatient

• Specialised rehabilitation ward
• Co-located multidisciplinary team
• Weekly goal setting and case conferences

Inpatient care on the rehab ward is delivered by specialised medical, allied health and nursing staff using a family focused, goal directed approach. Where possible, the hospital school provides support during the inpatient stay and works in partnership with QPRS.

Day Rehabilitation Program

• Intensive multidisciplinary program
• Post inpatient stay or further along
• Goal directed
• Time limited

Children requiring ongoing therapy at discharge can receive interdisciplinary therapy support via the Day Rehabilitation Program. Children may attend from once to multiple times per week while continuing with the hospital school program if required. Accommodation support is available for families who reside outside the Brisbane metropolitan area.

Rehabilitation Med Program

• Intensive clinic reviews
• Assessment
• Intervention
• Referrals
• Education
• Provision of information/support to access services

The first review appointment in the rehab med or outreach program is usually 3 months post discharge. Prior to this appointment, the family will have received support from the inpatient or day rehab team for integration to home and school, including support to access the NDIS. The rehab med clinics offer individualised multidisciplinary review which can include formal and informal assessment, guidance and counselling or intervention. Before and after these appointments the team may be in contact with key stakeholders (school, support agencies, private clinicians) to ensure comprehensive realistic assessment and goal setting. Teams may also carry out school visits if indicated. Children can continue to receive support from this program until they leave school. Children referred and accepted to our service from outside of Children’s Health Queensland (CHQ) will initially been seen at a rehab med clinic and provided with the appropriate supports as indicated. That this, they can access any of the outpatient programs on offer.

Groups/packs

• Transition to high school group and pack
• Social skills group (PEERS research)
• Transition pack
• Cognitive communication pack
• Growing up ready

Neurocog

• For children with ongoing psychological, cognitive, behavioural or communication difficulties
• Case management
• Assessment and intervention
• Neuropsychology, social work, speech pathology and occupational therapy

Some children with acquired brain injury have minimal medical and physical issues (or these may resolve within a couple of years) but persistent cognitive, communication, functional, emotional or behaviour impairments. These children are offered ongoing support via the neurocog program which provides case management as well as ongoing assessment and intervention as required. Children can be supported by this program until they leave school.

Outreach

• Multidisciplinary clinic reviews
• Assessment, intervention
• Referrals
• Education and information
• Clinics in Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Toowoomba, Gold Coast and Mt Isa

Our outreach teams travel to Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Toowoomba, Gold Coast and Mt Isa twice per year. Phone calls to families prior to the outreach clinic are used to identify those families who require a face to face service as well as those who may need a referral to local services or be provided with information. Telehealth services are also available to families.

QPRS also produce and provide resources for families and stakeholders. They include:

• schools pack
• transition pack
• cognitive communication pack
• transition to high school pack.

Every January, eligible children starting high school are invited to attend the Transition to High School Group which is run over 4 days and includes a program for parents. From time to time, QPRS can provide other group programs dependent on resources. One such program is the PEERs program which is offered within a research project.

Contact us

Queensland Paediatric Rehabilitation Service
Queensland Children’s Hospital
Level 6, 501 Stanley Street, South Brisbane 4101
t: 07 3068 2950
t: 07 3068 1111 (general enquiries)
f: 07 3068 3909
e: qprs@health.qld.gov.au