Well-Child Medical Checks
Tunbridge Wells, Kent
Our in-house Paediatrician provides ‘Well-Child Checks’ for newborns, babies, children and adolescents, offering medical consultations to ensure your child is healthy and their development is on track. These consultations are an opportunity for parents who may not necessarily have any medical concerns about their child, but want to have their child’s overall health assessed by a specialist doctor.
Visits to the paediatrician are just as important for healthy children as they are for children who are sick. The primary focus of our Well-Child Clinics is on preventative care, to monitor growth and development and to answer any questions that you may have about your child’s health, safety and wellbeing. They also provide an opportunity to screen, diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions that your child may face. They aim to foster a long-term partnership between the paediatrician and family focusing on personalised high quality medical care.
The American Association of Paediatrics recommends regular checkups by a paediatrician for all children at the following ages; 3-5 days old; 1 month; 2 months; 4 months; 9 months; 12 months; 15 months; 18 months; 2 years; 2 1/2 years; 3 years; and then once a year until 21 years old. Child-Well Checks are becoming more common now in the UK and offer families a unique opportunity for health screening and medical reassurance.
Who is the Consultant?
Dr Jay Halbert is a Consultant Paediatrician who completed his specialist training at Great Ormond Street, University College London & Cambridge University Hospitals. His current NHS practice is at Tunbridge Wells Hospital having previously been the Clinical Lead at one of the largest paediatric oncology shared care centres in the UK at Barts Health. In 2023 Dr Halbert was awarded the prestigious NHS England Clinical Excellence (Impact) Award for his services to advance child health nationally & internationally.
Dr Halbert is passionate about providing safe, effective, compassionate and high quality care & has worked as an expert advisor to the UK Healthcare Regulator (CQC), National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE), Royal College of Paediatrics & Child Health (RCPCH), NHS England and to the World Health Organisation (WHO). He also works as an expert witness & provides a second opinions service for complex paediatric cases.
Dr Halbert is a Principal Investigator for several national & international child health studies. He is regularly invited to present his research & quality improvement projects at national & international conferences for which he has received numerous awards. He strives to practice evidence-based medicine & is author to several publications in peer reviewed journals (including The Lancet) & several book chapters. He is an Advanced Paediatric Life Support Instructor & Medical Director & enjoys teaching on a variety of undergraduate & postgraduate courses including the Masters of Tropical Paediatrics & Diploma of Tropical Medicine.
Dr Halbert strongly advocates a holistic & integrated approach to support children reaching their full potential. He is the Clinical Lead for Child Mental Health at Tunbridge Hospital & a committee member on the NICE Guideline for Self-harm.
Dr Halbert provides clinics in The Children’s Wellness Centre, proving Well-Child Checks, medical consultations, referrals for specialist testing and works as part of our multi-disciplinary Autism Assessment team.
Well-Child Check Fees
A Well-Child Check usually takes around 30 minutes.
Prior to the appointment you will be asked to fill in a medical form, which will be reviewed ahead of the appointment, so Dr Halbert has an initial understanding about your child.
The appointment time can then be spent examining your child, chatting to them, and to parent/s about any concerns, or general questions that you may have.
A Well-Child Check is charged at £290.