Children’s allergy

My name is Janine and I am the children’s allergy nurse specialist.

I have been qualified for 14 years in various different specialties such as general paediatrics, general and complex surgery, Paediatric intensive care, Neonatal intensive care and Paediatric Ambulatory care. Childrens nursing is my passions and I strive to provide the best care for children and their families.

children’s allergy nurse specialist

Our team consists of myself, 2 Paediatric consultants with allergy interest, Paediatric dietician and support from nurses on ward 12 and the paediatric outpatient department.

Our consultants Anil Shenoy and Zainab Ezimokhai run allergy clinics on a Monday, and I have a nurse led clinic that runs alongside this.
We see patients with allergies and will perform a consultation to determine the allergy and perform necessary tests such as Skin Prick Test (SPT) and blood tests to confirm an allergy. During this consultation we will provide education and training for parents to ensure they can safely manage their children at home and in the community. In addition to this we can offer ward based oral food challenges to children who we believe could have grown out of their allergy.

Rachel Bromley is our paediatric dietician who predominantly manages babies with cow’s milk protein allergy however will also support families with multiple allergies to ensure they have adequate nutrition and maintain healthy growth.

Referrals come from General Practice (GP’s) and Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) who have presented with an allergic reaction.

My service also offers education for children transitioning to high-school and those who are leaving the children’s service going on to apprenticeships/college, university and workplaces. Children under my care will have a direct phone number for non-urgent allergy queries and are well supported at home with food avoidance and reintroduction.

In addition to this the service provide a holistic approach assessing a child’s health as a whole. Many of our children have coexisting diagnoses of asthma and eczema which we can also manage, as these tend to have a strong link with allergy. We have close links with the dermatology team for troublesome eczema and Dr Shenoy is also our Paediatric asthma consultant and can be referred directly into this clinic or the Paediatric asthma nurse specialists’ clinics. Children with other medical concerns are assessed and referred to the appropriate service for management.

I provide support to schools for children with allergy, asthma and eczema and can signpost them to the appropriate legislation and support they require to keep children safe whilst in school. I am working closely with school nurses to provide education and training for allergy to ensure the most up to date evidence and legislation is being shared with schools.