Intensive Care / High Dependency Unit

Transcription

1 James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Intensive Care / High Dependency Unit Information for Patients and Visitors Telephone: or

2 Nurse s name dealing with initial admission... In this leaflet we hope to help your understanding of our work by giving you some information about the Intensive Care/High Dependency Unit, the equipment we use and the people who work here. Visiting When visiting we ask you to ring the DOORBELL to the right of the entrance doors and wait until a member of staff speaks to you through the intercom, which may take a little while, so please be patient. We have a permanent ward clerk who works Monday to Friday 8am - 4pm, but at other times please be aware staff may be caring for a patient. Visiting times are: 11am to 8pm unless prior arrangements have been made with the person in charge. We also ask relatives to return home at night unless there are exceptional circumstances. We do have a sofa bed for those relatives who may occasionally need to stay overnight. Visiting is limited to close family only and two people at the bedside at any time to prevent tiring the patient. There will be occasions when this may include children, which we are happy to accommodate. It is however, very important to speak to the nurse in charge first in case extra planning is necessary in order to protect the child. You may find that you are asked to wait outside for five minutes while procedures take place. This may well stretch to 15 minutes or longer so please be prepared to wait as we do try to get to see you as soon as we can. You may feel of little use when visiting but your being there is a help. If you wish to assist with your relative s care you can - please ask. There will be a qualified nurse with your relative 24 hours a day who is available to answer questions. Please be patient as sometimes the nurse will have other patients too they will endeavor to keep you updated as much as possible. If the nurse is unable to answer your questions, they will advise or refer you to someone who can assist further. We will always let you know how treatment is progressing and can arrange for the doctors to speak with the immediate family. 2

3 Clothing and valuables Storage space is limited for patients property so we ask that all items of clothing and valuables are taken home by the family. All the patient will require are their usual toiletries. Flowers We ask visitors not to bring flowers as the water they stand in often contains bacteria which can be harmful to very ill patients. Visitors facilities in the Intensive Care Unit There are relatives rooms for sitting and relaxing within the Intensive Care Unit. The James Paget University Hospital operates a NO SMOKING policy. There is a water fountain in the relatives room. We would ask please that you leave the room as you would expect to find it. There is a toilet near the relatives rooms which is suitable for disabled use. There are public telephones available within the hospital so please ask for directions to the nearest one. Equipment Due to the nature of Intensive Care your relative/friend will be closely observed by the use of a variety of monitors, lines and tubes. The nurse caring for your relative will be happy to explain about these. Please feel free to ask as there is nothing to be afraid of. Staff There are a variety of people in the Intensive Care team who are looking after your relative. Please do ask if you are unsure who a person is they will not be offended. The Sister/Charge Nurse group are dressed in dark blue uniforms. Please note: There may be times during a patient s stay where staff feel the patient will benefit from extra rest periods. Subsequently, you may be asked to spend some time off the unit to allow your relative to rest. 3

4 Daily activities An illustration of the everyday activities on the Intensive Care Unit might be: hours Morning handover nurses shift changes hours Investigations Morning bed baths Doctors round Physiotherapy X-rays hours Physiotherapy Wound dressings hours Night handover nurses shift change hours Evening bed bath Further nursing care, such as frequent changes of position, eye and mouth care for your relative are carried out throughout the 24 hour period. Confidentiality / Telephone calls We try to keep the next of kin informed of all aspects of a patient s condition and can arrange for them to be seen by a doctor if necessary. For reasons of confidentiality we do not give detailed information over the telephone. Please arrange for one person to telephone on behalf of relatives or friends, so that they can then pass on this information to the others. Unfortunately most of our patients are not well enough to make telephone calls but we can pass messages on if necessary. For those that are able we have the facility of a bedside phone. We can arrange a password system if you are unable to visit regularly. Please make sure you leave us your telephone number and details of where we can contact you. No details of your relative will be given to other patients or their relatives unless you tell them yourself. No details will be given to the media except the usual statements such as comfortable, stable, etc with the patient or next of kin s consent. Audit and Research Conducting high quality clinical research and audit helps us to keep improving NHS care by finding out which treatments work best. Taking part in a clinical research study is voluntary and can be a rewarding experience. In this Unit we collect data on all patients, additionally your doctor or nurse may approach you to take part in a specific clinical research study as part of your care. 4

5 Can patients refuse to give this information? Yes. If you don t want information about your care to be used, you have the right to request this. If, as relatives, you are concerned that the patient would not want this information used (but the patient is unable to say so themselves), you should discuss this with a member of the health care team in this unit. This will not affect the care and treatment the patient is given. For further information, please ask for a leaflet. Accommodation At present there is usually no accommodation available for relatives to stay in the hospital. However a list of local hotels and guesthouses is available from senior members of the nursing staff. Social Worker If you require a referral to a social worker this can be arranged for you. Please speak to a member of staff if you think you may require this. Facilities that are available in the Hospital The following are found on the ground floor of the hospital: WRVS Sells: newspapers, sweets, toiletries, etc. Open: Weekdays 8.00 am 7.30 pm Saturday am 4.30 pm Sunday am 4.00 pm Hairdressers Open: Monday CLOSED Tuesday 9.30 am 4.00 pm Wednesday 9.30 am 4.00 pm Thursday 9.30 am 4.00 pm Friday 9.30 am 4.00 pm Saturday CLOSED Paget s Cafe in Foyer Open: Hot and cold food available Monday to Friday 7.30 am 8 pm Saturday/Sunday/Bank Holidays 8.00 am 8 pm League of Friends shop Sells: toys/books/stationery/fancy goods etc. Open: Weekdays 9.00 am 4.30 pm Saturdays 1.00 pm 4.00 pm Cash Machine situated near to the League of Friends shop not far from the main hospital entrance. 5

6 Religious services Services are held in our Chapel on the ground floor, opposite the lift area, as follows: Prayers are said every day at 1pm Monday Midday Prayer Tuesday The Prayer Bank Wednesday Golden Silence Thursday Midday Prayer Friday Prayers in Islamic tradition Roman Catholic Mass is held on Wednesday at 4.30pm Holy Communion (Ecumenical) 9.30am on Sunday Evening Worship 4.30pm on Sunday. A Chaplain can be called at any time of the day or night to visit patients and their relatives if required. All religious beliefs can be accommodated, so please ask a member of the nursing staff who can make arrangements. Bus services Buses to Great Yarmouth and other local villages leave from the terminal at the front of the hospital. Car parking Car parking is free for visitors of patients in ICU/HDU. Please ask a member of staff for a form to take to the patient transport office in the hospital foyer to arrange for your free parking. We hope this booklet will allay some of your uncertainties about our unit but please ask if there is anything you are unsure about as we will be only too willing to help you. If you have any comments or suggestions, please do let us know. 6

7 ICU / HDU

8 Feedback We want your visit to be as comfortable as possible. Please talk to the person in charge if you have any concerns. If the ward/department staff are unable to resolve your concern, please ask for our Patient Advice and Liaison (PALS) information. Please be assured that raising a concern will not impact on your care. Before you leave the hospital you will be asked to complete a Friends and Family Test feedback card. Providing your feedback is vital in helping to transform NHS services and to support patient choice. Trust Values Courtesy and respect A welcoming and positive attitude Polite, friendly and interested in people Value and respect people as individuals So people feel welcome Attentively kind and helpful Look out for dignity, privacy & humanity Attentive, responsive & take time to help Visible presence of staff to provide care So people feel cared for Responsive communication Listen to people & answer their questions Keep people clearly informed Involve people So people feel in control Effective and professional Safe, knowledgeable and reassuring Effective care / services from joined up teams Organised and timely, looking to improve So people feel safe The hospital can arrange for an interpreter or person to sign to assist you in communicating effectively with staff during your stay. Please let us know. For a large print version of this leaflet, contact PALS Authors: Susan Bird and Kathy Alger, Senior Sisters ICU/HDU 8 September 2005 Revised August 2007, April 2015 James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Review Date: April 2018 IC 1 version 3