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The New Zealand Paediatric Neurology Clinical Network is a national multidisciplinary network dedicated to improving the diagnosis, management, and outcomes of children with neurological disorders. These disorders encompass conditions affecting the brain, spinal cord, nerves, muscles, and the autonomic nervous system. The network includes clinicians involved in the care of infants, children, and young people with neurological conditions and aims to ensure consistent, equitable, and high-quality care across New Zealand’s health services.
Network Priorities
Our goal is to achieve the best possible outcomes and quality of life for tamariki with neurological disorders and their whānau. We aim to do this by identifying gaps in care and developing targeted strategies to address and eliminate them. Our key strategies will include:
- Supporting clinicians to maintain up-to-date knowledge regarding the diagnosis and management of neurological disorders
- Developing and implementing national clinical guidelines
- Developing and implementing community health pathways
- Creating educational resources for whānau on neurological disorders for KidsHealth
- Advocating for improved access to therapies for neurological disorders through collaboration with Pharmac
- Advocating for better pharmaceutical information for clinicians prescribing medications to tamariki with neurological disorders through collaboration with the New Zealand Child Formulary
- Advocating for enhanced access to diagnostic investigations for neurological disorders
- Supporting and encouraging clinicians in the network to undertake research and audits focused on improving understanding of resource provision, health outcomes for tamariki, gaps in implementation of care, whānau lived experiences of neurological disorders and their care.
- Addressing gaps in national connectivity between health professional groups, which has resulted in inconsistency and inequity of care. The network is planning to improve links between health professionals nationwide, within specific disciplines (e.g., paediatric neurology nurses and paediatric neurologists) and among multidisciplinary teams working within particular disorders (e.g., neuromuscular, epilepsy).