Patient Information Service Welcome to Ward 32 Bristol Royal Hospital for Children INFORMATION FOR PARENTS AND CARERS Patient Information is supported by January April 2010 2009
Welcome to Ward 32 We hope that the following information will be useful to you during your stay on the ward. The information covered here is very general; please do ask one of the ward staff if you are unsure about anything. Ward 32 is a specialist cardiac ward, although not all of the children on the ward will be under the care of the cardiac team. Children of all ages are admitted to this ward. We welcome and encourage parents to carry out as much of their child s care as they wish and where possible to try and maintain children s normal routine. Visiting You are welcome to be with your child at all times and we have open visiting on the ward for family and friends. However at busy times, you may be asked to limit the number of visitors at the bedside. To help us settle the children please limit the visitors to just parents after 8pm. If any of your family or visitors are unwell it may be better if they do not visit. Please check with the doctors and nurses to determine what is best. If any visitor has diarrhoea and vomiting they must not visit the ward until 72 hours following the end of symptoms. The door to the unit is controlled by an intercom system and anyone visiting will have to press the buzzer to gain access. This is in place to ensure a secure environment for all children on the ward. Please ensure that the door is locked behind you when you leave and do not allow anyone you do not recognize to gain entry. We may not always be available to answer the door immediately, so please be patient. We know you are there but may be caring for your child at the time. Quiet time Where possible we try to adopt a quiet hour between 1.00 and 2.00pm, during which we encourage children and their families to have some protected rest time, free from procedures and non urgent investigations. 2 3
Accommodation There is a pull down bed next to every child s bed on the ward so that you will be able to sleep next to your child. Some children will be in a single cubicle but most of the children will be in an open bay. There is also parent s accommodation near the hospital; please let us know on admission if you wish to book a room. This facility is provided free of charge, but it is not always possible to get a room. You may be asked to provide a deposit for the key. In general we are unable to accommodate siblings, or extended family members. However if this is going to be difficult for you then do let us know, we may be able to arrange family accommodation. However only a few rooms are available and these are shared throughout the hospital. In order to help the housekeeping staff to keep the ward environment clean and tidy we would ask you to have the pull down bed put away by 8:00 in the morning. There is a locker at each bedside, but these are quite small. Please try to keep luggage to a minimum. Meals and refreshments There is a variety of pre-packed baby milks available, and the hospital also has a milk-kitchen (Special Feeds Unit) where staff will make up any special feeds that your child may require. For the older children there are cereals, bread, sandwiches yoghurts, crisps and fruit available. Lunch and supper are provided each day, the ward staff order the meals the evening beforehand, but encourage the child and family to be involved in this. Please ask the nursing staff for menu cards that can be completed for your child. The menu aims to meet most people s needs and vegetarian dishes are available every day. (a copy of the menu is available on the ward). However, if you feel that your child will not eat the hospital lunches and suppers then you may wish to bring in some food, it can be stored in the fridge on the unit labelling the food is a good idea! You must accept responsibility for food that you bring in, and you may be asked to sign a declaration. There is a snack trolley on the ward where you can help yourself to food and drink for your child. It is usually kept outside of the ward kitchen. Unfortunately parents are not allowed into the kitchen. Please ask the nursing staff for any assistance. There is a parents and visitors rest room next to the ward for you to use while you are staying with us. Tea and coffee is available but you will need to provide your own food. Hot drinks must not be brought back onto the ward. They should be consumed in the parent s room. There are cupboards and a fridge available for you to store your food, unfortunately this is used by a large number of parents, so space is limited. Please label your food, and take unused 4 5
items with you when you leave so that other parents can use the space. Please take care to use the ward 32 fridge as this room is shared by the parents on the ward next door too. Your assistance in keeping the room tidy and comfortable for everyone s use is greatly appreciated. We ask that parents consume all food in this dining room, as there are children on the ward who are not able to eat or drink, and it can cause some distress! There is a dining room on Level 5. Breakfast is served between 8:30 and 10:30 every day. Lunch is served between 12 noon and 2 pm There are vending machines where you can buy sandwiches and snacks on Level 3 (in the outpatients department) and Level 5 (in the dining room). There is also a WRVS shop on Level 2 (main entrance). Toilets and changing facilities There are toilets, a bath and a shower on the ward for your child. There are toilets on every floor, at the top of the stairs for parents and visitors. There is also a parent s bathroom and shower room on level 6, outside of the ward for parents to use. We only have a limited supply of nappies on the ward, so you will need to provide nappies for your child. Unfortunately there is no washing machine on the ward. If you do bring in your own blankets etc. please make sure that they do not get sent to the hospital laundry, as they may get lost. Breast pumps are available for mothers who wish to express milk. It is also possible to freeze expressed milk and store it in the ward freezer. In the Bristol Royal Infirmary the Bistro is open all day for cold food, and serves hot food from 12:00 2:00 and 6pm 8pm. This is located on level 2 down the hill a little towards town. There is also a dining room at St Michaels Hospital, which is across the road from the old children s hospital, on St Michael s Hill. There is a Tescos and Marks and Spencer s within walking distance (about 10 minutes) if you wish to purchase food. There are also some leaflets on the notice board near the parent s rest room on the ward with some local places to eat, or takeaways which deliver to the hospital. Although we do not endorse any of them in particular, some visitors have used them. 6 7
Play We have a well-equipped playroom and a full time Play Specialist during the week. Children (including brothers and sisters) must be accompanied by an adult whilst in the playroom. There is also an indoor and outdoor play centre on Level 5 where children (if well enough to leave the ward) parents and siblings can enjoy themselves! Again, an adult must accompany all children. If you bring in any of your child s toys please ensure that you do not misplace them, as we cannot accept responsibility A small number of TV s/videos/dvds and playstations are available on the ward. These need to be shared by all of the patients. Ward rounds The doctors ward round usually starts between 9:00-10:00. One of the consultants will see the children most mornings. This is the time when plans for your child s care are made so you may wish to be around at this time. During the day there is a Cardiology Registrar - doctor - on the ward and they organise x-rays and ECHO s as well as taking blood samples where necessary. The dietitian is also on the ward most days; please let the nurse looking after your child know if you would like to speak to the dietitian. The cardiac liaison nurses are not always on the unit during the day. Again, please let the nurse looking after your child know if you would like to speak to the cardiac liaison nurse. There is also a clinical psychologist available on the ward. Please let the nursing staff know if you would like to speak to her. 8 9
Useful contact numbers Ward 32 0117 342 8332 0117 342 8679 Cardiac Liaison Nurse 0117 342 8286 (answerphone out of hours) Outpatients 0117 342 8440 / 8441 Cardiology Secretaries Dr. Alison Hayes 0117 342 8804 Dr. Rob Martin 0117 342 8855 Dr. Graham Stuart 0117 342 8852 Dr. Andy Tometzki 0117 342 8853 Dr. Bev Tsai-Goodman 0117 342 8862 Dr. Robert Tulloh 0117 342 8856 10 11
For access to other patient leaflets and information please go to the following address: www.uhbristol.nhs.uk/patients-visitors-and-carers/ patient-information.html Hospital Switchboard: 0117 923 0000 Minicom: 0117 934 9869 www.uhbristol.nhs.uk For an Interpreter or Signer please contact the telephone number on your appointment letter. For this leaflet in Large Print, Braille, Audio, or Email, please call the Patient Information Service: 0117 342 3728 / 3725 w w w @ UH Bristol NHS Foundation Trust April 2010 CHILDRENS/WW32/Apr10