The service receives referrals from the local area and paediatric teams from North and West Yorkshire, along with Hull and the East Riding.
Access to specialist services, such as those available at Leeds, enables families to receive expert guidance on diagnosis and management, including specialist therapies and support.
They hold specialist and subspeciality multidisciplinary outpatient clinics in Leeds and provide outreach neurology clinics in all the hospitals in the region, together with some regional neuromuscular clinics. There are dedicated children’s neuroscience, respiratory and critical care wards where children are looked after by clinical staff experienced in the management of children with neuromuscular conditions.
How to access the service
To access the neuromuscular unit a patient can be referred by either a GP, consultant or a care advisor.
The team
Dr Anne-Marie Childs
Consultant Paediatric Neurologist
Dr Childs leads the Paediatric Neuromuscular Service in Leeds and runs outreach clinics across West and North Yorkshire and Humberside. Dr Childs has played a major role in developing the service in the region which has led to the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust being recognised as a Muscular Dystrophy Campaign Centre of Excellence.
Sue Manning
Regional Care Advisor
Sue supports both adults and children with muscle disease at the Leeds General Infirmary. She also supports children and their families at clinics in Halifax, Hull and Bradford. Sue has worked as a neuromuscular care advisor since 1994. She is an Occupational Therapist and has previously worked in palliative care, children's services, social care and mental health services. Get in touch with Sue by E: sue.manning@leedsth.nhs.uk or T: 0113 3923113.
Dr Karen Pysden
Consultant Paediatric Neurologist
Dr Pysden is a Consultant Paediatric Neurologist with an interest in neuromuscular disorders working in the Paediatric Neuromuscular service in Leeds. She works within the team with the aim of delivering a patient centred multidisciplinary service to the region.
Lindsey Pallant
Specialist Neuromuscular Paediatric Physiotherapist
Other key people in the team include:
- Dr Fiona Willcoxson, Consultant Paediatric Cardiology
- Dr Matthew Morrall, Consultant Paediatric Neuropsychologist
- Philip Chetcuti, Consultant Respiratory Paediatrician
- Mark Elliott, Consultant Respiratory Physician
- Mr Dashti, Consultant Spinal Surgeon (Visiting)
- Claire Holden, Specialist Spinal Nurse (Visiting)
- Talat Mushtaq, Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist
- Eamonn Sheridan, Clinical Geneticist
- David Crabbe, Paediatric Surgeon
- Aruna Chakrabarty, Consultant Neuropathologist
- Jeannette Kraft, Consultant Paediatric Radiologist
- Brain Scott, Consultant Paediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon
- Catherine Szeplaki, Specialist Neuromuscular Children's Occupational Therapist
- Sarah Cozens, Specialist Long Term Ventilation Children's Nurse
- Sharon Sloan, Specialist Long Term Ventilation Children's Nurse
- Louise Bisset, Speech And Language Therapist
- Kathryn Lightfoot, Dietician
- Catherine Wilshaw, Physiotherapist
- Alistair Duff, Consultant Psychologist
Clinics
Children
Clinics are held at Leeds, Bradford, Calderdale, York and Hull
- General Neuromuscular clinic
- Neuromuscular Spinal clinic
- Neuromuscular Respiratory clinic
- Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy boys on steroid treatment
- Transition clinics
- SMA clinic
- HMSN clinic
- FOR-DMD study research clinic