Paediatric Healthcare in Spain — How This Service Fits
Spain has a well-structured primary paediatric care system — every child has the right to an assigned paediatric GP in the public system until the age of 14-16 years depending on the region. This is a strength of the Spanish healthcare system.
However, there are situations where this service is genuinely useful:
- Your child is unwell today and the assigned paediatrician has no appointment available until tomorrow or later
- It is outside clinic hours — evening, weekend, or public holiday
- You want to assess your child's symptoms before deciding whether to go to the emergency department — where waiting times can be several hours
- You are an international family without a currently assigned Spanish paediatrician, or who prefers consultation in English or Portuguese
- You want a clear explanation of what your child's Spanish paediatrician has told you about your child's health
Already have an assigned paediatrician in the public system? This service works as a complement — for when you need care today and there is no available appointment, or when you want a second perspective before deciding whether to go to the emergency department.
Who This Service Is For
This consultation is appropriate for:
- Infants, children, and adolescents up to 18 years with acute or non-urgent health concerns
- Families without a currently assigned Spanish paediatrician
- Families with an assigned paediatrician who need clinical advice today, outside clinic hours
- Parents who need a child's symptoms assessed before deciding whether to go to the emergency department
- Parents who have received advice or documentation from a Spanish paediatrician and want it reviewed and explained clearly
- Adolescents aged 16 and over who want to discuss a health concern directly with a doctor
- International and expat families who prefer the consultation in English or Portuguese
This service is for acute and non-urgent GP-level paediatric concerns. For paediatric emergencies, call 112 or go to the nearest emergency department immediately. Fever in infants under 3 months requires emergency assessment — do not book a video consultation.
Conditions Commonly Assessed
Respiratory and ENT
- Common cold, cough, and upper respiratory tract infections
- Ear infections — otitis media and otitis externa
- Sore throat and tonsillitis
- Croup — assessment and guidance
- Wheezing and mild asthma concerns
- Sinusitis in older children
Fever and general illness
- Fever in children over 3 months — assessment, advice on management, and guidance on when to seek further care
- Viral illnesses — roseola, hand foot and mouth, chickenpox
- Gastroenteritis — vomiting and diarrhoea, dehydration assessment
- Urinary tract infections in children
- Fatigue and general malaise
Skin
- Rashes — assessment and guidance for parents
- Eczema in infants and children — flare management and ongoing advice
- Impetigo and skin infections in children
- Molluscum contagiosum
- Nappy rash and infant skin concerns
- Allergic skin reactions
Growth, development, and behaviour
- Parental concerns about developmental milestones — with referral for formal assessment where indicated
- Sleep difficulties in infants and young children
- Feeding concerns in infants
- Behavioural concerns in school-age children — with referral where indicated
- Adolescent health concerns — acne, menstrual health, mental wellbeing, weight concerns
Chronic condition management
- Asthma management in children — review and ongoing guidance
- Eczema — ongoing management and flare review
- Allergies — assessment and management guidance
- Chronic abdominal pain in children — assessment and referral where indicated
Other
- Medical documentation — school absence letters, referral letters
- Review of results or clinical letters from Spanish paediatricians — explained clearly
- Pre-travel health advice for children
- Vaccination schedule queries — clarification and guidance
What Your Consultation Includes
Full paediatric clinical assessment
Your GP takes a complete history of your child's symptoms — onset, duration, severity, associated symptoms, feeding and hydration status, relevant medical history, current medications, vaccination status, and family history where relevant. For younger children, the consultation is conducted with the parent describing symptoms and showing the child on video where clinically relevant.
Safety assessment
Every paediatric consultation includes assessment of whether the child's presentation requires emergency or urgent in-person care. Your GP advises clearly and immediately if this is the case.
Clear parental guidance
You leave the consultation knowing what is most likely happening with your child, what to do at home, what symptoms to watch for, what would prompt you to seek further care, and when to expect improvement. Parental confidence and knowledge is a clinical outcome in itself.
Clinical documentation — at the doctor's professional discretion
When clinically indicated, your GP issues appropriate clinical documentation valid at any pharmacy in Spain.
Note: Controlled substances cannot be issued electronically under Spanish law. Your GP advises if this applies to your child's situation.
Antibiotics — where clinically indicated
All antibiotics in Spain require a doctor's prescription by law. Your GP assesses your child's presentation and prescribes the appropriate antibiotic where the clinical evidence supports it — including for ear infections, throat infections, urinary tract infections, and skin infections — in accordance with antibiotic stewardship guidelines.
Referral and documentation
When referral to a Spanish paediatrician, specialist, or emergency department is needed, your GP issues the relevant documentation the same day.
When to Go to the Emergency Department — A Clear Guide for Parents
One of the most common and most stressful decisions parents face is whether a child's condition warrants emergency care or whether careful monitoring at home is appropriate. This consultation helps you make that decision with clinical support — but some presentations require emergency care without waiting for a video consultation:
Go to the emergency department immediately if your child has:
- Fever in an infant under 3 months — always an emergency
- Difficulty breathing — any rapid, laboured, or noisy breathing
- A rash that does not fade when pressed with a glass — possible meningitis, call 112
- First seizure, or a seizure lasting more than 5 minutes
- Loss of consciousness or unresponsiveness
- Severe allergic reaction — swelling of lips, tongue, or throat
- A child who is deteriorating rapidly
Paediatric emergency departments in Spain:
- Hospital La Paz — Madrid (paediatric emergencies 24h)
- Hospital Vall d'Hebron — Barcelona (paediatric emergencies 24h)
- Hospital La Fe — Valencia (paediatric emergencies 24h)
- Hospital Virgen del Rocío — Sevilla (paediatric emergencies 24h)
- Outside major cities: your local reference hospital has a paediatric emergency service
When in doubt, always go to the emergency department. It is always better to be seen and reassured than to wait at home with a deteriorating child.
Important Information Before You Book
- A parent or guardian must be present throughout all consultations for children under 16, in accordance with Organic Law 1/1996 on the Legal Protection of Minors and Law 41/2002 on patient autonomy
- For adolescents aged 16 and over, the GP assesses capacity to consent individually in accordance with Spanish medical and legal standards — the concept of the "mature minor" (menor maduro)
- Fever in infants under 3 months is a medical emergency requiring immediate in-person assessment — do not book a video consultation for this presentation
- Rapidly deteriorating children — if your child is worsening significantly while you are trying to book, go to the emergency department immediately
- Mandatory reporting — our clinical professionals are bound by the mandatory child protection reporting obligations under Organic Law 1/1996. Where a consultation raises child protection concerns, the professional is legally and professionally obliged to act accordingly, which may involve the regional Child Protection Services. This obligation takes precedence over confidentiality
- The decision to issue any documentation is always a clinical decision made by the GP after full assessment
