Professional profile

Dr Jay Halbert is a Consultant Paediatrician having completed his specialist training at Great Ormond Street, University College London and Cambridge University Hospitals.

His current NHS practice is at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, part of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust, having previously been  Clinical Lead at one of the largest paediatric oncology shared care centres in the UK at Barts Health.

He provides expert consultations on all acute and chronic conditions affecting children from birth to 18 years, covering a wide range of treatments.

In 2023 he was awarded the prestigious NHS England Clinical Excellence (Impact) Award for services to advance child health nationally and internationally.

He is passionate about providing safe, effective, compassionate and high quality care and has worked as an expert advisor to the UK Healthcare Regulator (CQC), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and to the World Health Organisation (WHO). He also works as an expert witness and provides a national second opinion service for complex paediatric cases.

Dr Halbert is a Principal Investigator for several national and international child health studies, and is regularly invited to present his research and quality improvement projects at national and international conferences for which he has received numerous awards.

He strives to practice evidence-based medicine and is author of several publications in peer-reviewed journals (including The Lancet) and several book chapters. 

He is an Advanced Paediatric Life Support Instructor and Medical Director and enjoys teaching on a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate courses including the Master's in Tropical Paediatrics and Diploma of Tropical Medicine in Liverpool.

Dr Halbert is a strong advocate of an holistic and integrated approach to support children reaching their full potential. He is Clinical Lead for Child Mental Health at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and a committee member on the NICE Guideline for Self-harm.

He is also director of a global healthcare consultancy firm providing specialist advice on the development, implementation and evaluation of medical technology and digital health products and services for children and young people. One particular focus has been developing hospital(s) at home, remote patient monitoring and telehealth (including virtual reality) services for children.

Dr Halbert is also a specialist in global child health with extensive experience working and implementing child health programmes in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. He completed a Diploma in Tropical Medicine at the world-renowned Gorgas Institute in Peru and provides consultations on all aspects of child travel health including pre-departure immunisations, general health and safety, child travel health kits, expedition medicine, remote advice while travelling or living abroad and post-travel health screening including for tuberculosis, malaria and other parasites.

Treatment information

Some of the principal treatments carried out by Dr Jay Halbert include:

 

  • Allergy including food allergies and anaphylaxis
  • Child wellbeing and mental health including supporting children to reach their full potential
  • Childhood cancer including lumps and bumps
  • Diabetes, thyroid disorders, short stature, growth hormone deficiency, early and delayed puberty
  • Fever, recurrent infections, immunodeficiency, vaccinations, travel health
  • Gastrointestinal conditions including reflux, colic, constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, vomiting, coeliac disease
  • Haematological conditions including anaemia, bleeding disorders, ITP, neutropenia, haemoglobinopathies, hereditary spherocytosis
  • Head shape and plagiocephaly
  • Headaches including migraines, epilepsy, faints and funny turns
  • Heart murmurs, chest pain, palpitations 
  • Mindfulness for children and carers, alternative complementary therapies
  • Neurodevelopmental disorders including autism and ADHD, developmental delay, learning difficulties, emotional and behavioural concerns including tantrums, medically unexplained symptoms
  • Nutrition including healthy eating, feeding difficulties, failure to thrive, eating disorders including obesity and anorexia
  • Pain, palliative care and symptom management, child bereavement
  • Respiratory conditions including shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, asthma, sore throats, ear infections, sleeping difficulties
  • Rheumatological conditions including arthritis, limp, hypermobility, growing pains, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, sports medicine, minor injuries
  • Skin rashes including eczema, dermatitis, nappy rash, vulvovaginitis, fungal infections, birth marks
  • Syndromic disorders (such as Down syndrome), rare diseases, clinical genetics and metabolic disorders
  • Urinary infections, enuresis (bed-wetting), irritable bladder, urinary incontinence, kidney disease
  • Well-child checks, general parenting strategies, twins and multiple birth siblings.