Referrals & enquiries
Thinking about referring a child?
Call 0508 KOTUKU to discuss a referral.
We welcome enquiries from healthcare professionals, parents, caregivers, whānau, and anyone supporting a child with a serious illness.
Children do not need to be at the end of life to be referred. In fact, many children are referred months or years before the end of life so that they and their families can benefit from specialist support earlier.
All referrals are reviewed immediately.
Who can be referred?
We accept referrals for babies, children and young people from in utero through to 24 years of age with serious illnesses who may benefit from specialist paediatric palliative care.
If you're unsure whether a child is suitable for referral, please call us. We'd much rather have a conversation early than miss an opportunity to support a child and their family.
What is specialist paediatric palliative care?
Specialist paediatric palliative care is a medical specialty focused on improving the quality of life of children with serious illnesses and the people who love and care for them.
Many people assume palliative care is only for the final days or weeks of life. In reality, support can begin from the time of diagnosis and continue alongside treatment for a child's illness.
Our role is to help children live as well as possible for as long as possible, while supporting the people who care for them.
This may include:
Managing pain and other symptoms
Helping families navigate complex healthcare decisions
Providing emotional and psychological support
Coordinating care between healthcare providers
Supporting families through end-of-life care when needed
Providing bereavement support
How we work
Rei Kōtuku provides specialist support alongside a child's existing healthcare team. We work closely with local paediatricians, GPs, community nurses, hospital teams, hospices and other providers involved in a child's care.
Our team includes a specialist doctor, nurses and a psychologist.
Although we are based in Wellington, we support children and families throughout Aotearoa New Zealand.
For families who live further away, we may travel to meet them in person and then provide ongoing support by phone and videoconference, while working closely with their local healthcare providers.
For families within our region, we are often able to provide more hands-on support and nursing care, particularly during periods of increased need and at the end of life.
Regardless of where a child lives, we remain available to support both the family and their healthcare team with specialist advice, care planning, symptom management and medication management.
How to refer
The best way to discuss a referral is to call us on:
0508 KOTUKU
Referrals are commonly made by paediatricians, specialists, GPs and other healthcare professionals, but we are equally happy to hear directly from parents, caregivers and whānau who would like to explore whether our service may be a good fit.
If you're wondering whether to refer, please call. We're happy to talk it through.