The Tongue Tie Service supports parents with newborn infants who are not effectively feeding that may be due to a restriction of the lingual frenulum (Tongue Tie). We assess and, where indicated, offered the frenulotomy procedure for infants up to 12 weeks of age. In some circumstances we may have to refer infants the Ear, Nose and Throat Service in Manchester.
We accept referral from Bury, Rochdale, Oldham and Salford - all clinic appointments are held at the Royal Oldham Hospital.
- We offer referral to services which offer infant feeding support.
- We offer the use of interpreters for parents where English is not their first language
We triage all referrals received by phoning the parents and having a conversation about their babies feeding.
For parents who are bringing their infant to a clinic appointment we will have run through pre-appointment information at the triage phone call
We will then email the appointment letter which provides the location of our clinic, the date and time of the infants’ appointment, pre-appointment information we have discussed at the triage call as well as our 2 leaflets, an example copy of the consent form and a map of the hospital showing where to find the clinic.
At the appointment a Tongue Tie Practitioner will undertake an assessment the result of which will inform us whether we can offer the procedure or not. Parents are informed of the assessment results and what the results mean.
Where the procedure is not offered, we will further discuss feeding and offer to refer to services which support infant feeding.
Where the procedure is offered, we will discuss the intended benefit and the risks of the procedure so the parents can make an informed decision about whether to have the procedure or not.
We undertake a follow-up phone call 7-10 days after the procedure to check how feeding is going and whether there have been any other problems
- Infants can be referred to our service where they are under the maternity, neonatal and paediatric services at Royal Oldham Hospital or under the health visiting services of Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, and Salford.
- GP’s who have residents in these areas can also refer to us.
- HomeStart (Oldham), Breastfeeding in Salford and B.O.O.B.S. in Bury can also refer to our service
For Oldham residents - Home-Start HOST (Oldham, Stockport & Tameside) | Home-Start UK
For Bury residents - BOOBS in Bury - Breastfeeding in Salford
For Salford residents - Home - Breastfeeding in Salford
Parents will also receive support from the person or organisation who has made the referral.