Children’s Clinical Immunology

The Children’s Clinical Immunology Service assesses, investigates and treats children with suspected or confirmed primary or secondary immune deficiencies. We provide specialist care for a wide range of conditions that affect the immune system.

The service is based at Leicester Royal Infirmary and is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

We support children from Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, and also receive referrals from northern Northamptonshire. We currently care for more than 100 children with immunodeficiency disorders. For children with very complex immune conditions or those who have had a bone marrow transplant, we share care with:

We assess and manage conditions including:

  • Antibody deficiencies
  • Combined immune deficiencies
  • Neutrophil defects, including chronic granulomatous disease (CGD)
  • Complement deficiencies, including hereditary angioedema (HAE)
  • Other primary immune deficiencies, including autoinflammatory diseases
  • Secondary immune deficiencies

What we offer 

  • Specialist assessment and diagnosis of immune deficiencies 
  • Ongoing management and monitoring of immune conditions 
  • Paediatric outpatient clinics 
  • Joint immunology and respiratory clinics 
  • Transition clinics for young people moving to adult services 
  • IVIG infusions, SCIG training and test immunisations 
  • Children’s phlebotomy 
  • Liaison with other specialist teams 
  • Support from specialist paediatric immunology nurses 

Who can use this service 

This service is for: 

  • Children and young people with suspected or confirmed immune deficiency 
  • Patients living in Leicester, Leicestershire, Rutland and northern Northamptonshire 
  • Children referred by a GP or hospital consultant 

We also support children with complex immune conditions who require shared care with national specialist centres. 

Healthcare professional outpatient referrals

  • Referrals are accepted from GPs and hospital consultants
  • A referral pathway is available for referrers, outlining required investigations
  • Urgent referrals are usually seen within 4 weeks
  • Routine referrals are usually seen within 18 weeks

If a referral is not accepted, we send an explanation and advice to the referrer and the family. 

When appropriate, referrals may be redirected to General Paediatrics. 

Clinics take place in the Children’s Outpatient Department at Leicester Children’s Hospital.

Our clinics include:

  • Children’s Immunology Clinic – three times a month, Wednesday mornings
  • Joint Immunology and Respiratory Clinic – every other month, Wednesday mornings
  • Immunology Transition Clinic – four times a year, Wednesday afternoons
  • IVIG infusions, SCIG training, test immunisations and paediatric phlebotomy are provided through the Children’s Day Case Unit at Leicester Children’s Hospital.

If you cannot attend

Please contact the number on your appointment letter as soon as possible so we can offer the appointment to another child.

If a child is not brought (WNB) to an appointment, the case is reviewed by a clinician and further action is taken in line with Children’s Hospital protocols.

Children who need support from other specialties are referred to the relevant team. We run a regular joint Immunology and Respiratory clinic. Monthly multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings are held with Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

We share care for children with complex immune deficiency or post-bone marrow transplant with:

We are part of the Trent Regional Immunology and Allergy Consortium (TRIAC). Our team works closely with national colleagues through the Immunology Travellers Group and national and international meetings. Our specialist nurses are active members of the Immunology and Allergy Nurses Network.

  • We are registered to train adult immunology and allergy specialist registrars. 
  • We deliver teaching for medical and nursing staff and students. 
  • Team members present at national and international conferences and publish in peer reviewed journals. 
  • We maintain a secure local database of immune deficiency patients to support regular audit and quality improvement. 
  • We also contribute to the national primary immune deficiency database. 

Consultant medical staff 

  • Dr Ruth Radcliffe – Consultant Paediatrician 
  • Dr Nafsika Sismanoglou – Consultant in Immunology and Allergy 

Specialist Nurses 

  • Richard Cawthorn, RGN, RSCN, MSc 
  • Joanne Smith, RGN 

Secretarial staff 

  • Rachael Pollard 
  • Jo Armstrong 

What to expect 

At your child’s first appointment, we will: 

  • Discuss their symptoms and medical history 
  • Carry out or arrange any necessary tests 
  • Explain the diagnosis and treatment options 

Ongoing care may include regular reviews, blood tests, day case treatments or support from specialist nurses. 

If your child is admitted to hospital for any reason, please let us know. We do not have inpatient beds, but we provide specialist advice to the team caring for your child. 

Contact us

We aim to acknowledge queries or requests for advice within 48 hours. If you are acutely unwell outside normal hours, please contact your GP or call NHS 111.

Immunology Secretaries telephone:
0116 258 6702
Specialist Nurses telephone:
0116 258 7611
Email address:
[email protected]
Address:

Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Hearing Services Building
Leicester Royal Infirmary
Leicester
Leicestershire
LE1 5WW

Things to remember 

  • Let us know as soon as possible if you cannot attend an appointment
  • Tell us if your child is admitted to hospital so we can provide specialist advice
  • Contact your GP or NHS 111 if your child is unwell outside normal hours
  • We have zero tolerance for aggressive behaviour toward staff

Our responsibilities

  • We involve you and your child in decisions about their care
  • We follow the Duty of Candour, meaning we are open and honest if something goes wrong
  • We explain what happened and what we are doing to prevent it happening again

Useful links