Thanks to the forward thinking that took place during a discussion between Dr Anthony Clarke, recently retired from Townhill Medical Practice and County Councillor Chris Botten, serving on the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee a new initiative is taking place between Caterham Children's Centre and Townhill Medical Practice.

Dr Clarke had identified that although there are many avenues for family support in Tandridge and Surrey, sometimes the waiting lists are very long, meaning that families being offered medical support are having to wait a long time for emotional and practical support from other partners in the community. Options were considered, resulting in Caterham Children's Centre being invited to facilitate a presentation which addressed the variety of hiccups that can get in the way of families thriving together. Themes included: Post natal depression, advice on parenting, children & teenage mental health and communication difficulties, CAMHS referrals, support for young parents, and many more.

Centre Manager, Linda Smith was keen to point out that family support offered by the Children's Centre will be offered in addition to other professional partners rather than instead of, and gave examples of the seamless provision for support offered between Midwifery, Health Visitors and Children's Centre Outreach Workers when supporting families with young children.

Following the presentation a new community partnership will commence in November, when the Children's Centre Outreach Team will be based at Townhill Practice every Friday together with the Family Services Team, led by Manager, Jan Smith. This means that families will have a one-stop point of contact for support, ensuring they feel cared for before a concern reaches a crisis point.

Dr Ann Marie Newbon, GP at the practice said: 'We are very excited to be selected for this project to provide support for our families. By working alongside the Children's Centre we will be able to provide well-timed and wide ranging advice and referrals. We very much anticipate our patients will benefit from this collaboration.'

Councillor Chris Botten said: "This very welcome initiative will ensure that families can get the help they need much sooner and we hope that if this pilot scheme is successful we can look to extend it to other surgeries."