Critical Care - Welcome to Ward 10 Critical Care Unit at Fairfield General Hospital

This leaflet has been designed to give you a brief introduction to the Critical Care Unit and why your relative/loved one has been admitted.

Both the medical and nursing staff understand and appreciate that the days ahead may be extremely emotional and upsetting for both you and your family. We will offer you as much guidance and support as we can throughout this difficult time.

Critical Care Units have many varied names. In this Trust alone, they are called Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU), Critical Care Wards (CCW) and High Dependency Unit (HDU).

Whichever type of unit your relative/loved one is admitted to, they will receive continuous observation as well as specialised and intensive medical and nursing care.

Patients who are admitted to the critical care areas fall into different categories.

These are patients who are too ill to be looked after on a general hospital ward; patients who have an illness which requires close observation, monitoring and support from specialist equipment only available within the unit; and patients who need specialist medication to maintain their normal body functions such as breathing, blood pressure and kidney function.

Examples of such illnesses include heart attacks, pneumonia, complications following surgery, falls, poisoning or Sepsis. The doctor or nurse looking after your relative/loved one will explain things to you in more detail when you visit.
 
Some patients may not need such intensive care and therefore may be cared for by the High Dependency Unit. In some of our hospitals this may be in a separate area, whilst in others the ICU and the HDU may be combined within the critical care environment.

Our Aims

We aim to provide a high standard of clinical care based on individual needs. We also try and take into consideration personal, cultural and spiritual beliefs and do our utmost to provide an environment which supports these beliefs.

We will strive to maintain comfort and dignity both in life and in the sad event of death.

Admission and on-going care

When a relative/loved one is admitted to the unit it may be some time before you can see them.

Whilst you are waiting, they will be examined and assessed by the medical/nursing staff and various monitoring lines and leads will be attached and inserted. These enable us to start any treatments or therapies that may be needed. Everything will be explained to you as soon as possible.

Patients who need intensive care may be heavily sedated when first admitted. This is to enable us to control their breathing and other bodily functions. They may look very different and be attached to lots of tubes and wires. This does not mean that you cannot touch them, although it is a good idea to check with the nurse first.
 
Don’t be scared to talk to them, even though they are asleep, as they may still be able to hear you. They can also become very swollen which requires the removal of rings and other jewellery. These will either be returned to you or put into the hospital safe.

Your relative will be surrounded by lots of equipment. Due to this, the unit can be quite noisy and you may hear lots of equipment and monitor alarms. This is normal and does not necessarily mean that anything is wrong. There is usually a ventilator, which is a machine that breathes for the patient. This is more commonly known as a life support machine.

There will also be a monitor that gives a continuous reading of heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels. There may be many pumps that regulate the drips and drugs that are needed.

Each nurse usually looks after one patient, however, they occasionally nurse two patients at the same time. In addition there are senior and junior medical staff, physiotherapists, dieticians, pharmacists and radiographers, as well as many support workers all helping to give your relative/loved one the best possible care. All these people wear a variety of different uniforms. If you unsure of who people are, do not hesitate to ask one of the nurses who will be happy to clarify things for you.

As our Trust has now combined to form the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust (or the NCA) we are now working in close partnership with the Critical Care Unit at Salford Royal Hospital, and have formed what is known as a single shared service, and as a result we may at times need to transfer your relative over there for either ongoing or more specific care. Don’t worry your relative/loved one will receive the very best care and treatment possible which ever Critical Care Unit they are being looked after in.
 
However, sometimes the illness may be too overwhelming and there is no treatment that can help your relative/loved one. In this case the doctor and nurse will discuss the options with you and your family, which may include discontinuing treatments, and letting nature take its course.

Sometimes, when it is clear that there is no hope that your relative/loved one will survive, the doctors and nurses may ask you your views on organ and tissue donation. This is a very difficult and emotive issue for many people. However, please don’t be afraid to ask for help or talk to the doctors and nurses about how you are feeling.

Once your relative/loved one’s condition has improved and they are well enough, they will be transferred to a general ward.

There will be a lot less staff and equipment on these wards. This may be very frightening for you at first, but please be assured that this is because your relative/loved one is getting better or does not need as much support. Everything will be explained to you about what will happen and what to expect following discharge from the unit.

Visiting Times

Visiting times are between 1pm and 7pm, but between the hours of 3pm and 4pm we have introduced quiet time to allow patients to rest and sleep, with minimal nursing tasks and a reduction in the lighting / noise levels, as this has been shown to aid their recovery, so we would ask you to avoid this time.

Exception may be made with the visiting hours in extreme circumstances, so please speak with the nurse in charge if you have any worries.
 
You are welcome to telephone any time of the day or night and we will be able to give you an update on your relative/loved one’s condition. However, we are unable to discuss specific details over the phone due to patient confidentiality.

If you have a large family, it may be best to nominate one or two people to ring the hospital and let them update everyone else.
They will be allocated a password so that they are authorised to receive updates over the telephone.

When you visit the unit, please ring the bell at the door and a member of staff will attend to you as soon as possible. If treatment is being given to your relative/loved one, you may be asked to wait in the waiting room. Unfortunately, these waits can be rather long, but every effort will be made to reduce this.

The number of visitors allowed at the bedside is restricted to two.  This is because the nurses need to have easy access around the bed area and there is limited space. Please discuss with the nurse in charge if you want to bring young children into the unit.

Mobile phones must not be used on the critical care areas, although they are allowed in the waiting room.

In order to reduce any infection being passed on to your relative/loved one, please make sure you wash your hands or use the alcohol hand rub provided when entering and leaving the unit.

We recommend that you take home any of your relatives/loved ones personal items. You can leave their toiletries, although do not worry if you cannot get these as we can supply them.

Please do not bring flowers, plants and balloons on to the unit. However cards, one or two photographs or small religious items can be accommodated.

General Information

It is important that you take care of yourself during this stressful time and get regular sleep and meals.

If you require any further services e.g. social worker, chaplain, discussions with the medical staff or the Patient Advisory Liaison Service (PALS), then please do not hesitate to speak to any member of staff who will be happy to arrange any of these things for you.

Broadoak restaurant

There is a restauraunt where you are able to buy hot food and refreshments. It is open 7 days a week (except bank holidays).
The opening times are:

Breakfast: 8:30am to 10:30am

Lunch: 12:00pm to 2:00pm

Spiritual Care Team

Chaplains are available from different denominations and faiths and are supported by a team of volunteers. You can see a chaplain at any time and the nursing team can arrange this for you. There is a Christian chapel available to all who wish to pray or be quiet. There is also a prayer room with a women’s area (which is regularly used for Muslim prayers) and a Shabbos room. These facilities are all open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Compliments, concerns and complaints

A positive patient experience is very important to all the staff. We always welcome and encourage feedback whether it is good or bad. We aim to provide the very highest possible standard of care within the Critical Care Unit. If you have any ideas of how we could improve our service please speak to the nurse or ward manager.

If you have any concerns or complaints regarding your stay on the Critical Care Unit , please feel free ask to speak to your nurse or ward manager. If you feel unable to communicate your complaint with ward staff, the Trust has the Patient advice and liaison services (PALS) which is a confidential service that provides help, advice and information for patients, families and carers.
You can contact PALS by ringing 0161 604 5897 or email: pals@nca.nhs.uk

Contact Information

Critical Care Unit

Telephone Number: 0161 778 2510 or 0161 778 2504
Hospital Helpline - Fairfield General Hospital
Telephone Number: 0161 624 0420

Feedback

If you would like to leave feedback regarding the care and treatment you/your relative/loved one have recieved from this department, we would be very pleased to hear from you.

There are several ways that you can leave feedback for us:

• Through NHS website (preferred) - www.nhs.uk/service-search:
• In the 'FIND' box, please enter 'Fairfield General Hospital'
• Select the 'Leave Review' yellow tab
• Fill in your ratings and any comments. Please write 'the ward/ department you visited' as the title of your review
• In section 4 please select 'the department you visited'
• Via the PALS department