Coming to your first appointment with the Craniofacial Department

outpatients-1.jpg" style="width: 640px; float: right; height: 360px">Your first craniofacial appointment at Birmingham Children's Hospital can feel overwhelming if you are not prepared.

You arrive at the Outpatients Department, which is a big, echoing room with a high ceiling. You will take a ticket with a number on from the machine on the right. When your turn comes you hand it in to the receptionists.

You may have to wait quite a long time because a child in a clinic before you might need more attention. It's a good idea to bring toys and games for your baby or child to help with the wait. There is a snack bar.

When it's your turn and the door of your clinic opens, there might be as many as ten people waiting to see you.

There are a lot of people because there are many different experts involved in treating the skull and face because it is such an intricate part of the body.

 At your first clinic, you might find:

• A facial surgeon, who specialises in treating the bones of the face
• A plastic surgeon, who deals with the soft tissue like the skin and muscle
• A neurosurgeon, who will have knowledge about the way an operation might affect the brain
• A specialist nurse, who will be able to explain procedures to you
• A speech and language therapist, who understands how a craniofacial condition can affect speech, language and feeding
• A clinical psychologist, who can help you and your child deal with having a distinctive face or difficult behaviours and feelings your child may be experiencing
• A coordinator, who will bring all these different aspects of your care together

They are there because each one has something different to offer you and your child.