The paediatric intensive care unit at St Mary s Hospital

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1 The paediatric intensive care unit at St Mary s Hospital Information for parents

2 PICU Paediatric intensive care unit

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4 Contents 5 Contact details 6 Information about your child s admission 7 Who will look after my child? 9 When can I visit my child? 10 What should I bring in from home? 11 How can I travel to the hospital? 13 Where will I stay? 14 The parents room 15 Where can I get something to eat? 15 Shops 17 Banks 17 Security 18 Fire alarms 18 What support is available to me? 19 Are we giving a good service? 21 Parent feedback 21 Paediatric and neonatal forum 21 Gifts to staff 22 Useful sources of support 23 About COSMIC 27 Map 4

5 Paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) 7th Floor, QEQM Building South Wharf Road London W2 1NY Tel: Fax: Children of St Mary s Intensive Care (COSMIC) The charity which provides support for the patients, parents and staff on the PICU Address: COSMIC St Mary s Hospital Room 31 Ground Floor Salton House London W2 1BL Tel: info@cosmiccharity.com Website: Facebook 5

6 Information about your child s admission to the paediatric critical care service (paediatric intensive care and high dependency units) This booklet introduces you to the paediatric critical care service at St Mary s Hospital and provides you with some practical information to help you through your child s stay with us. The paediatric critical care service consists of an eight-bedded paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and a two-bedded high dependency unit (HDU). We care for children from birth to 16 years of age who need intensive medical and nursing care. Both PICU and HDU are located on the 7th floor in the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Wing of St Mary s Hospital on South Wharf Road, London W2 1NY. St Mary s PICU is part of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. 6

7 Who will look after my child? A team of people will be involved in your child s care, including nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and radiographers. All members of staff should wear identity badges showing their name and job title. On PICU one nurse will be allocated to care for your child at the beginning of each shift. In HDU your child s nurse may be looking after another child at the same time. The nurse will continuously monitor your child s progress and ensure that they are receiving the care they need. Your child s nurse should make sure that you are fully involved in your child s care and that you understand the treatment that they are receiving. Please ask questions if you are unsure about anything. The medical staff will review your child s condition formally in the morning and in the evening on the consultant led ward rounds. Should there be a change in your child s condition at any time, night or day, there is always a doctor available on the unit to attend to them immediately. 7

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9 When can I visit my child? The unit staff will make every effort for you to be with your child whenever you wish to be. Parents/guardians can visit their child at any time day or night, although we will always encourage you to get some rest overnight. We ask that any other visitors leave the unit by This is to ensure that the children can get as much rest as possible. You may be asked to leave your child s bedside during the morning and evening ward rounds. This is so that we can maintain patient confidentiality when the condition and care of other children on the unit is being discussed in close proximity to your child's bed space. For the safety and comfort of you, your child and our staff, we only allow two visitors to see your child at any one time. Take off your coats or jackets when visiting your child and hang them up in the parents quiet room and wash your hands before and after visiting your child. We also ask that all visitors to the unit use the hand gel sanitisers on entering and leaving the unit. This is very important in helping us to reduce any risk of infection. If anyone wishing to visit has been in contact with an infectious disease (for example chicken pox, diarrhoea or vomiting) please check with the nurse-in-charge if that person can visit the unit. 9

10 What should I bring in from home for my child? We are able to provide everything needed to care for your child, including nappies, baby milk, food and towels. If you wish to bring in anything from home for your child please do. This may include a favourite toy, music tapes, books, your child s blanket or their own toiletries. Familiar smells and touch can be very comforting for your child. The children are usually nursed without clothes because of the lines and monitoring leads that are needed for their care. Please ask your nurse if there is any clothing that they may be able to wear, such as booties, babygrows, socks, pants, button through nighties or pyjamas that you could bring in from home. 10

11 How can I travel to the hospital? There is metered parking at the hospital, but the number of spaces is very limited and closely monitored by traffic wardens. We would recommend that you and your visitors travel into the hospital by public transport or taxi whenever possible. For details of public transport links see the map on page 27 of this leaflet. Disabled parking bays are available on South Wharf Road, opposite the accident and emergency ambulance ramp. If you are going to drive please note that St Mary s Hospital is near the central London congestion zone and that certain vehicles are subject to the congestion charge if driven within the charging zone between and 18.00, Monday to Friday excluding public and bank holidays. The congestion charge is 10 per day (as of Nov 13) and can be paid up until midnight on the day or travel. For more details of the congestion charge including how to pay please go to or call

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13 Where will I stay? We will do our best to provide accommodation for parents wishing to stay overnight whilst their child is in PICU/ HDU. We will endeavour to accommodate you in a local hotel. The hotel room will be paid for either by the hospital or the unit charity, COSMIC; the nurse-incharge will give you a hotel voucher for each night s stay. If you experience any problems with the accommodation provided please inform the nurse-in-charge. There is a map to the hotels at the back of this booklet, and also some guidelines to make sure that your stay is as comfortable as possible. If a hotel room is not available we will find you a bed within the paediatric unit so that you have somewhere to rest. Sleeping at your child s bedside is not permitted; this is for your child s safety should we need to attend to them quickly. Sleeping in the parents room is also not permitted, unless your child is admitted during the night. This is because we try to keep the parents room accessible to all families at all times. If you do not want to stay in the hotel or you have to go home, COSMIC charity may be able to assist with some of the costs of travel to and from the hospital. Please ask your nurse/ family liaison Sister about this. 13

14 The parents room The parents room is available for use by all parents on the PICU. Space is limited in this room for the number of families that we have on the unit. Please be considerate when using the room, and ask your visitors to wait in the Union House café on the ground floor when not visiting your child s bedside. Hot drinks and snacks may be prepared in the parent s room. Please let the nursing staff know if supplies of milk, tea and coffee are running low. Please help us to keep the room clean and tidy by clearing up after yourselves and discarding any food you no longer require from the fridge. Please switch off your mobile phone when on the PICU/HDU as it may interfere with the medical equipment However, you may use your mobile phone in the parent s room to make and receive calls. You may find it helpful to ask one relative or friend to relay all information that you give them about your child s condition to other friends and families. This way you do not have to phone around all your friends and family to give them an update or receive lots of calls throughout the day, yet you know that everyone concerned is being kept informed of your child s progress. 14

15 Where can I get something to eat? The Union House cafe on the ground floor of this building serves hot and cold meals, sandwiches and snacks throughout the day. Meal vouchers are available from the nursing staff for breastfeeding mothers and for those parents receiving benefits. The voucher can be exchanged for food in the Union house café. Vending machines selling snacks and drinks are located next to the café for out of hours use. There is a large selection of restaurants, cafés and fast-food outlets within walking distance of the hospital if you would prefer to dine outside of the hospital. Staff on the unit will be able to give you details of restaurants in the area. A snack trolley service also visits PICU at approximately 10.30, 1pm and 4.15pm Monday Friday. It sells hot and cold beverages, sandwiches, fruit, crisps and soup. Shops The Friends of St Mary s shop is located in the ground floor in the reception area of the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Wing. It sells cold drinks, sandwiches, cakes, confectionary, a limited range of toiletries and stamps. It also sells phone top ups and some bills can be paid there. There is internet access for visitors in the PALS (Patients Advice and Liaison Service) which is also located in the QEQM reception area, by the lifts. There are many shops in the local area including Tesco, Sainsbury s, Boots, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer. Ask your nurse for details of what is available near the hospital should you need to buy any food, drink, toiletries or other goods. 15

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17 Banks The nearest cash machine is outside the Tesco supermarket on South Wharf Road (turn left outside the hospital); at the Post Office on Praed Street and within Paddington station. HSBC and Barclays banks are also nearby. Your nurse will be able to give you directions to any of these facilities, or see the map at the back of this booklet. Security Automatic locking doors and a video intercom system control entry at the main entrance to PICU. Press the button once and wait for the door to be opened for you. At busy times you may have to wait but we will try to answer as quickly as possible. When the door has been opened for you, do not let anyone else in with you unless you know him or her or they have a hospital ID badge. Do not leave any items of value unattended within the hospital or your hotel accommodation. The Trust cannot accept liability for lost or missing personal items. There are lockers available in the parent s room and a padlock and key is also provided so that you can keep valuables safe. A deposit will be required for the padlock/key which will be returned to you when you leave the unit. 17

18 Fire alarms If you hear an intermittent fire alarm, this means that the alert is not in the immediate area. All doors and windows will be shut, and the lifts will be out of use until the alarm stops. A continuous alarm sounds in the event of a fire. The nurses will inform you what to do if the unit needs evacuating. Follow their instructions and remain as calm as possible. What support is available to me? The PICU has a family liaison Sister who is available to help support you and make sure you are kept fully informed of everything happening with your child. Their role is to provide comprehensive practical advice and emotional support to you and your child. The family liaison Sister will liaise with your child s health visitor, community nurses, social worker and school if needed. They can also facilitate links to other hospitals, national and voluntary support services as requested. If you would like to talk with the family liaison Sister please ask the nurse caring for your child to contact them. The Trust employs Church of England, Free Church, Jewish, Muslim and Roman Catholic chaplains. If you wish to see one of the chaplains, the nurses can contact the hospital chaplain team for you. There is a chapel and a prayer room available within the hospital. The nursing staff will be able to guide you to these facilities. 18

19 Are we giving a good service? We aim to provide the highest standards of care on PICU. If you have any comments or suggestions to make about the care or level of service you and your child receive we would like to hear them. Please talk to a member of staff, the nurse-in-charge or the nurse manager or modern matron. If you would rather give your comments in writing please address them to senior nurse, paediatric critical care service, St Mary s Hospital, Praed Street, London W2 1NY. Alternatively St Mary s patient advice and liaison service (PALS) is available as a confidential source of support to help sort out any problems or concerns you may have with the hospital. To contact the department, which is open between 9-5pm, Monday to Friday, please call The PALS walk-in office is on the ground floor of QEQM wing and is open Monday to Friday, from. - pals@imperial.nhs.uk You can also write to PALS manager, Nursing directorate, Ground floor, Clarence wing, St Mary s Hospital, London W2 1NY If you wish to make a formal complaint about the service you have received, this can be done in writing to Complaints department, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Praed Street, London W2 1NY.A booklet is available explaining the complaints procedure at St Mary s Hospital. Please ask the nurse manager or nurse-incharge for a copy of this booklet. 19

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21 Parent feedback We really value your feedback and comments on your stay in hospital, including what works well and any suggestions you may have on how we can improve and thus ensure we continue to deliver the very best care. We have parent feedback forms in the parent s room where you can write your thoughts and feedback about the service you have received. Completed forms should be placed in the red suggestion box in the parent s room. Also prior to discharge you should be asked to complete an electronic hand held tracker device; and answer questions about your experience on PICU. Paediatric Feedback Forum We run a user group three times a year in January, May and September where we invite parents to come back and discuss their experiences of our service and the care received. Parents are selected randomly so you may get an invite to attend from our family liaison Sister. Gifts to staff While families may want to show their appreciation for the care and treatment their child has received, it is against the Trust s code of conduct for staff to accept gifts of value, for example money, goods, holidays or discounts on services. The unit charity, COSMIC, is extremely grateful for any donation you may wish to make. Further details of the work that COSMIC does in supporting the intensive care are available on page

22 Useful sources of support NHS Direct Call 24 hours a day on or visit This 24-hour service puts you in touch with a team of nurses and health information staff for confidential healthcare advice. NHS website Visit The website for information about local health services including: GPs, dentists and pharmacists minor injuries/walk-in centres Meningitis Research Foundation 24-hour Freephone helpline: Provides information and support for people who want to know more about meningitis and septicaemia. Contact a Family Freephone helpline , or visit for advice and information on all issues affecting families of children with disabilities, special needs or rare disorders. Also provide linking service to numerous parent support groups.

23 About COSMIC COSMIC was founded in 1994 to raise money to support the newly opened PICU at St Mary s Hospital. Now the PICU is a busy eightbed unit treating children with life-threatening conditions, such as meningitis or pneumonia, or who have been the victims of accidents or undergone surgery. Altogether the PICU treats around 500 desperately sick children every year. With one of the lowest mortality rates for paediatric intensive care in the UK, the unit and its Imperial College London research team are at the leading edge of new treatments for diseases that threaten children s lives. How COSMIC helps Money raised for COSMIC helps save critically ill children s lives: nearly all of the high-tech medical equipment on St Mary s PICU has been bought with donations to COSMIC we support parents of children on the unit during a particularly traumatic time by funding accommodation as well as equipping a special parent s room, funded by the money raised by John Lewis during their year of fundraising for COSMIC 2008/09 thanks to an education programme we are able to ensure that the PICU s highly specialised doctors and nurses can continue their training and development we fund internationally significant research into the causes, effects and treatment of life threatening childhood diseases For more information visit info@cosmiccharity.org.uk or call us on

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25 Thank you for deciding to make a regular donation to COSMIC (registered charity no ). Please complete this Direct Debit form and return it to us at the address below. Your details Title Forename Surname gift aid your monthly donation and Please return this form to: COSMIC, St Mary s Hospital, Room 31, Ground Floor Salton House, South Wharf Road, London W2 1BL

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27 Finding us at St Mary s Hospital

28 Paediatric critical care service WDM/177/2010 February 2010 review February 2012 Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust 2010 PI003