Endocrinology

We are also a nationally commissioned quaternary centre for the treatment of Congenital Hyperinsulinism (Northern Congenital Hyperinsulinism service, NORCHI) and a European centre of excellence that provides highly specialised PET scanning facilities for the diagnosis of focal hyperinsulinism for children in the UK. We are also centre for the treatment of rare metabolic bone conditions such as hypophosphatasia, brittle bone disease and skeletal dysplasias.

The consultants are supported by a team of endocrine nurse specialists and junior doctors. Alongside the medical team, these nurses act as a resource for advice and education to other healthcare professionals, schools, carers and patients:

Specialist Endocrine nursing practitioners:

• Sister Julie Jones
• Sister Helen Pimlott

Specialist CHI Nursing Practitioners:

• Sister Elaine O’Shea
• Sister Helen Pimlott

Specialist Bone nurse

We also have a dedicated physiotherapist and occupational therapist for complex bone disorder patients.

Transition and multidisciplinary services

We support young people transition into adult endocrinology services through two monthly Young Person’s endocrine clinics, which are run at the Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) and a monthly complex gynaecology clinic at Saint Mary’s Hospital.

We also work closely with colleagues from other paediatric specialties by holding multidisciplinary team meetings for patients with complex kidney disorders, DSD, hypothalamic/pituitary tumours and genetic disorders.

Outreach clinics

We provide local outreach clinics in Barrow-in-Furness, Blackburn, Lancaster, Macclesfield and Stockport. We also provide a peripheral congenital hyperinsulinism clinic service in Nottingham and Glasgow.

The department has been successfully peer-reviewed by the British Society of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes (BSPED).

What conditions do we treat?

Endocrine conditions

• Disorders of growth including short stature, growth hormone deficiency and rare genetic syndromes
• Disorders of puberty – early and late
• Disorders of sexual differentiation (DSD)
• Neonatal endocrine disorders
• Congenital and acquired thyroid disorders
• Adrenal disorders including Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) and Addison’s disease
• Multiple pituitary hormone deficiencies
• Autoimmune polyendocrinopathies
• Severe obesity with metabolic co-morbidities
• Syndromic obesity including Prader-Willi syndrome
• Endocrine tumours including phaechromocytomas
• Hypoglycaemia and Congenital Hyperinsulinism (CHI)

Bone services

• Disorders of calcium and phosphate metabolism including X-linked hypophosphataemic rickets and hypophosphatasia.
• Osteogenesis imperfecta and Pamidronate service
• Skeletal dysplasias
• Disorders of the parathyroid glands
• Severe Vitamin D deficiency
• Steroid induced metabolic bone disease
• Metabolic bone disease secondary to other disorders

Diabetes services

• Tertiary diabetes with links to secondary diabetes services

What treatments do we offer?

• Growth hormone treatment
• Pituitary hormone replacement
• Thyroid and adrenal hormone replacement
• Early and late puberty treatments including GnRH analogues, testosterone and oestrogen replacement
• Bisphosphonate therapy and PTH
• Hyperinsulinism treatments including Diazoxide and Ocreotide

What to expect if you come to see us in clinic

Basal blood tests may be performed on the day of your outpatient appointment and if required, stimulation endocrine function tests are performed by the trained nurses on the Medical Investigations Unit at the Elective Treatment Centre (ETC) on Ward 76.  Inpatient procedures and admissions are arranged as required and supervised by junior doctors.Treatments may range from outpatient prescriptions, require inpatient stay at the RMCH and where possible we try and liaise with GP practices and use shared-care treatments with district general clinicians to ensure more locally available services and treatment.