Paediatric Infectious Diseases
We care for children with infectious diseases and weakened immune systems. We provide expert support at John Hunter Children’s Hospital, offer advice to local doctors, and connect with families through telehealth.
About our Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases
The Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases provides specialist care and treatment for children with infectious diseases or compromised immune systems. This includes an inpatient infectious diseases consultation service at John Hunter Children’s Hospital, telephone advice to doctors and telehealth consultation across Hunter New England LHD. The department is actively involved in research and training, partnering with the University of Newcastle and the Hunter Medical Research Institute.
Our team
Consultants:
- Dr Coen Butters, Paediatric Infectious Diseases Physician
- Dr Meghan Gunst, Paediatric Infectious Diseases Physician
What we do
We provide direct clinical consultation for inpatients and outpatients (including telehealth review Inpatient consultation for children and young people (age < 18 years) with possible or proven infection, undifferentiated fever, or at increased risk of infection. We encourage consultation for all children with bacteraemia.
We also provide outpatient consultation for children and young people with:
- Follow- up after sepsis
- Complicated, recurrent or resistant infections
- Exposure or infection around the time of delivery
- Tuberculosis or HIV
- Travel-related infection
- Prevention and treatment of infection in immunocompromised children
We work closely with child immunisation service to provide specialist immunisation advice, BCG vaccine and travel medicine advice.
Our services
- Direct clinical consultation for inpatients and outpatients (including telehealth review for children in rural and regional areas)
- Telephone advice to doctors across Hunter New England
- Multidisciplinary care of patients with services such as General Paediatrics, Oncology, Haematology, Immunology and Critical Care
- Comprehensive hospital-wide antimicrobial stewardship
- Clinical support for Infection Prevention and Control
- A paediatric tuberculosis (latent and active disease) program in collaboration with the John Hunter Hospital Tuberculosis Service
- Clinical support for the Hospital in the Home (HITH) program
- Comprehensive immunisation and specialist immunisation services through the HNE Kids Immunisation Service
- Active participation in local and international research
- Training for advanced trainees, international medical colleagues and medical students
Outpatient clinics
The Department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases offers outpatient reviews for children and young people with infections, particularly those that are congenitally acquired, chronic or challenging to treat.
Referrals are via RIMS.
Contact us
For general (non-clinical enquiries): phone (02) 4923 2245 or email HNELHD-PaedID@health.nsw.gov.au.