About Contact’s medical information

5 mins read

This advice applies across the UK.

We have an A-Z directory of medical conditions, including information about symptoms, treatment and support. Here’s how we keep it up-to-date and accurate.

In this article

Medical information provided by Contact

The entries in our A-Z list of conditions are designed to give a basic overview of the condition. They are written so that they are accessible to families of disabled children and those professionals who work with them.

Contact has a medical advisory panel to assist us in providing medical information to families with disabled children. We also work with a large number of specialists who help us to provide relevant up-to-date medical information on more than 440 medical conditions and rare conditions.

How is our information checked?

A medical expert in the field, usually consultant level or equivalent, has reviewed the information on each medical condition. With some very rare conditions, there may only be a few experts that know a significant amount of information about the condition.

Details of authorship appear at the bottom of each page along with the author’s position and their affiliation.

Medical entries where we link out to trusted sources of information are reviewed on an annual basis.

Browse our A-Z list of conditions.

Our in-house editors may write non-medical or general information in the condition articles.

If you can’t find a medical condition

If a medical condition is not in our A-Z list, we may still be able to help. We have access to a database with more than 2,000 conditions with links to further information. We will only pass on information written and verified by medical professionals.

Please contact our freephone helpline on 0808 808 3555 for more information. Our helpline advisers are not medically qualified and unable to provide medical advice or opinions.

We also provide information on common health concerns, diagnosis and rare conditions.

Disclaimer

Although great care has been taken in the compilation and preparation of all medical information to ensure accuracy, Contact cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions.

The same medical conditions can affect children in different ways and some information sources may give the worst-case scenario. Any medical information by Contact is for education/information purposes and is not designed to replace medical advice.

You should share any information you find with a medical professional delivering your care to see how it applies to you. Any links to external websites have been carefully selected, but are provided without any endorsement of the content of those sites.

Information last updated February 2024 by Rachel Gibson, Rare Conditions Information Officer, Contact.

Our medical advisory panel

What does the medical advisory panel do?

The medical advisory panel (MAP) was established to support Contact in its provision of medical information to families of disabled children and those professionals who work with families.

Members advise broadly on what information the charity should provide and help to ensure the accuracy and validity of medical information produced by Contact. The MAP do not review every entry that appears in the Contact A-Z list of conditions,  but can advise on suitable medical professionals who can review particular entries.

Who sits on our medical advisory panel?

The following medical professionals make up our medical advisory panel, each advising on a specialist subject area:

Behavioural phenotypes

Professor Jeremy Turk MD, BSc (Hons), FRCPsych, FRCPCH, DCH Emeritus Professor of Developmental Psychiatry,  Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neurosciences, King’s College, University of London and Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, Child & Young Person Autism Spectrum Condition Diagnostic Service, Isle of Wight NHS Trust

Development disorders

Professor Ann Le Couteur, BSc, MBBS, FRCPsych, FRCPCH (retired)
Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Health and Society, Newcastle University, Sir James Spence Institute, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle, UK.

Gastroenterological conditions

Professor Mike Thomson, MB ChB, DCH, MRCP(Paeds), FRCPCH, MD, FRCP
Consultant Paediatric Gastroenterologist and Governor
The Children’s Hospital Sheffield, Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Sheffield, UK.

Genetic conditions

Dr Adam Shaw, MD, FRCP
Consultant in Clinical Genetics, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

Haematology and Oncology

Professor Finbarr Cotter, MB, BS, FRCP(UK), FRCPath, PhD
Professor of Experimental Haematology, Department of Medical Oncology, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Consultant Haematologist, Barts and the London NHS Trust, London, UK.

Immunisation and Screening

Dr David Elliman, DCH, FRCP, FRCPCH, FFPH
Consultant in Community Child Health, Whittington Health, London, UK.

Immunisation and Community Paediatrics

Professor Helen Bedford, RGN, RHV, BSc, MSc, PhD, FFPH, FRCPCH
Professor in Children’s Health, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK.

Inherited Metabolic disorders

Dr Mike Champion, BSc, MBBS, MRCP, FRCPCH
Consultant in Paediatric Inherited Metabolic Disease, Evelina Children’s Hospital, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.

Information last updated December 2022 by Rachel Gibson, Rare Conditions Information Officer, Contact.

In-house editors

The day-to-day management of Contact medical information is the responsibility of our Rare Conditions Information Officer.

If you have any questions related to our website, please contact the web editor by emailing [email protected]

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