The Central Remedial Clinic is a cohesive team of people with complementary professional skills who are devoted to meeting the particular needs of children and adults with physical disabilities, as well as the needs of those who care about and for them. At the CRC we put great emphasis on the value of multi-disciplinary teamwork. The medical services are provided by doctors who have specialised training in the care and treatment of children and adults with physical disabilities. These include Paediatricians who provide medical care, Orthopaedic Surgeons, and Vision and Hearing Specialists. All members of the medical team have close contact with other hospitals including The Children’s Hospital, Temple Street and Beaumont, Cappagh and Mater Hospitals.
The Paediatric Department is at the heart of the overall Clinic team, undertaking initial medical diagnosis and responsibility for coordinating the various therapies. The Paediatrician is the initial point of contact for many people visiting the Central Remedial Clinic for the first time and, as such, is responsible for introducing them to the Clinic, its staff and its services.
Children are referred to the Clinic by their local doctor or therapist. In many circumstances a diagnosis has been made. However, in others, the diagnosis is not yet clear and part of the medial team’s work in such circumstances is to refine that diagnosis. Having assessed the nature and origins of the individual’s problems, we arrange for appropriate treatment, which is carefully tailored to each child's needs.
The best results are invariably achieved when parents or others concerned for the care and welfare of the person play an active and well-informed role in therapy. That can only be achieved through open and continuing dialogue, which is why we strive to maintain an "open door" policy with parents. Early diagnosis can also be of considerable importance in terms of the long term outlook for the person with a disability. The ages at which children are referred to us can vary significantly. Cerebral palsy is frequently diagnosed between the ages of six and twelve months, for example, while the muscle wasting disease muscular dystrophy, may not be readily apparent until the child is five or six years of age. But whatever the problem, the sooner the diagnosis is made the sooner appropriate therapy can commence.
The ongoing monitoring of the child with a disability and the supervision of treatment are vital roles of our departments, as is communication with them and their parents.
The Clinic’s overriding aim is to assist people with physical disabilities to realise their full potential, to achieve the maximum possible independence, self confidence, competence and personal fulfilment in their lives.
As the coordinators of individual therapy teams within the Clinic, the medical team play an active role in the work of the specialist teams which have been established to care for people with spina bifida, muscular dystrophy and arthrogryposis.
While the Central Remedial Clinic provides regular therapy to those children and adults living within the Dublin region, we are also a national resource providing assessment and specialist consulting services in the medical, orthopaedic and therapeutic areas for people with physical disabilities throughout the country. Those living outside of the Dublin area will receive regular therapy locally and, in providing a consultancy service, we work closely with the local teams.
The members of the Paediatric Services team are committed to a full programme of ongoing education . We maintain close links with our counterparts throughout Europe and the U.S. in particular, to ensure that we are fully up to date with advances in diagnosis and therapy.
We also play an active role in educating others involved in caring for
people with disabilities, including doctors, therapists, community care teams
and , most of all, the children and their parents.