Rounds

Each day one of our intensive care consultants will see your child to check on their progress. 

These visits are called ‘rounds’, and are attended at your child’s bedside by the bedside Registered Nurse, PICU Doctors (Consultant, Fellow and Registrar), Nurse Team Leader / Access Nurse and a Nurse Practitioner.

The PICU Medical and Nursing Team ward round is attended in the morning and evening. The PICU Medical Team is available 24 hours a day. 

During rounds, your child’s condition will be discussed with plans made for the day. You are welcome to be present and are encouraged to ask questions at the end of the round.

Your child will be under the care of the Intensive Care Consultants with joint care provided by other specialist Paediatricians or Paediatric Surgeons. Should you like to discuss your child’s medical condition, treatment or progress, we can arrange an appointment at a convenient time.

Winter Gardens

The Winter Gardens are outdoor spaces designed to provide access to fresh air for patients as well as parents, carers and staff.

Your child may spend time outdoors on a patient bed for therapeutic purposes. To support patient care, the gardens are equipped with medical service panels including oxygen, air, and suction if needed. 

Access for patients to the Winter Garden is determined by the Medical and Nursing Team and will occur under supervision.

Medical procedures

Sometimes medical procedures take place in PICU. Some of these procedures are planned and some are emergencies. 

If a procedure is happening to another child in your child’s room, we will ask all family members of the other children to wait outside the room.

If your child is having a procedure while in PICU, you can discuss with your nurse how we can help you to support your child during the procedure. Each situation is different and a plan for the procedure can be made ahead of time.

Parent and carer pager

If your child needs a post-operative bed in PICU, the ward clerk will give you a pager. 

You will be paged 30 to 40 minutes before your child is transported back to PICU after their surgery. Please make your way back to the unit, where the Surgical Team will update you on your child's condition.

Discharge

When your child no longer needs intensive care or high-dependency treatment, they may be moved to a different ward or unit. 

Your child will not be discharged from PICU unless they are ready.

After the discharge, your child will be reviewed on the ward. This may be done with a member of the PICU team, such as a PICU Nurse Practitioner, Clinical Nurse Consultant or Ward Medical Staff.