Respiratory - Welcome to the Acute Respiratory Care Unit (ARCU) Ward 11a/11b

Ward Manager 11A - SR Karen Mills

Ward Manager 11B - SR Victoria Westerman

Ward Sisters: Veena Sudhakara, Lauren Robinson, Phillipa Livesey, Rehannon Crane, Nimmy Mathew, Chandrakala Lawrence and Robyn Lomax.

Practice Based Educators: Gill Hamdan and Charlotte Fitton

Telephone Number

Ward 11A - 0161 778 3108

Ward 11B - 0161 778 3109

Welcome to the Acute Respiratory Care Unit (ARCU)

We will do our best to make you and your family/friends as comfortable as possible during their stay with us.

This information leaflet will aim to provide you with enough information to answer any questions or concerns you may have. If there are any questions you may have, please do not hesitate to ask a member of staff on the ward.

If you have any concerns about the care of your relative/friend is receiving, please speak to the nurse in charge or call the urgent concern helpline by contacting switchboard on 0161 624 0420 and ask them to bleep 1915.

About the Acute Respiratory Care Unit (ARCU)

ARCU is an inpatient area which specialises in caring for patients with lung and other medical conditions alongside ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) patients. Each bedside has Patient line TV/Radio and Telephone access. It is free to watch this between 7am and 12pm, after this time you can view the television using a payment card or by calling the operator on the attached telephone. The radio is free to listen to 24 hours a day.

Bathroom and toilet facilities include equipment for the aid of those with disabilities. There are nurse call alarm lights by each bed, which are checked daily by the staff to ensure they are in working order.

During your stay

Once you have been allocated your bedside locker and housed your belongings, could you please arrange for any large bags or suitcases to be taken home until you are ready for discharge. We also recommend that any valuables that are non-essential for your hosptial stay be sent home, this includes expensive electrical items and substantial amounts of money.

When you are first admitted to ARCU, you may be admitted into an individual side-room area. Although a side-room may be required on your admission, your condition may change throughout your stay and it is likely that if you do not require isolation, you may be transferred into a main bay of patients.

In your hospital welcome pack you will find a number of information leaflets which we ask you to read; any of these leaflets can be provided in easy read formats and an audible version of these leaflets can also be provided on request. These include information on what you can do to prevent any pressure damage to your skin whilst you are in hospital.
 
Also included in the pack is information regarding infection prevention and what you and your visitors can do to minimise the risk of infection. On admission you will be provided with hand wipes which are for your own use. We ask that visitors use the hand gel provided at the hand hygiene stations upon entering and leaving the ward.

At this current time, there is no longer a requirement for visitors/ patients/staff to routinely wear surgical masks, but this is subject to change alongside guidance from infection control. If you are visiting a patient with a suspected or confirmed infection, please ensure you wear adequate protective personal equipment which the ward will supply you with.

Visitors are also kindly asked not to sit on patient’s bed and armchairs and to use the visitors chairs provided. Unfortunately due to infection prevention, fresh flowers are not permitted on the ward.

Admission

All patients are first welcomed to the ward. Staff will ask how they would like to be addressed e.g. Mr, Mrs or first name. A detailed assessment, in the form of a friendly question and answer session, is then made by a member of the nursing staff.

This is only done if your condition permits. Relatives or friends may be able to answer questions for you. The treatment you require will also be explained at this time.

Please ask any questions you wish. Any information about your illness or stay in the hospital will be treated in strict confidence.

If you are taking any medications, it is important to bring these to our attention on admission.

Staff

The ward is divided into a team of nurses. You will be informed of the nurse taking care of you on each particular shift. There are a number of nurses specialised in particular areas who share their expertise with the rest of the team nurses.

During your stay you will be under the care of a named consultant and their team of doctors who will be responsible for your care and treatment during your stay in hospital. Our ward doctors review patients daily with the multidisciplinary team (MDT) to discuss the patients treatment and discharge.

The Consultant ward round takes place in the morning on Monday through to Fridays, usually between the hours of 9:00am to 12:00pm. During the ward round, you will have the opportunity to discuss your plan of care and treatment with a member of the medical team.

If you wish for a member or your family or a friend to be present with you for the ward round, please discuss this with the nurse who is looking after you and this can be arranged (please note that this may not always be possible and this is dependent on the guidance from the Organisation in line with the current situation with the Covid-19 pandemic).

We are aware that it is not always possible for your relatives/ friends to attend the ward in order to get an update on how your are. However we are also limited to the information we can give out over the telephone, so please can they bear this in mind when phoning the ward.

At this current time, due to the high number of telephone calls we receive to the unit, we ask that only one family member contacts the unit to get an update on your condition; we will ask this named person to create a password with the ward clerk or nursing staff and this person will need to provide this password when contacting the unit.
 
Although a doctor may not always be available on the ward, a member of staff will be available to give any updates.

As well as doctors and nurses, other professionals may be involved in your care. This includes:

• Physiotherapists
• Occupational Therapists
• Speech and Language Therapists
• Dieticians
• Social Workers
• Podiatrists
• Pharmacists

If you have any questions, the nursing staff are available at any time to discuss this with you. If you would like to see a doctor, please ask the nurse in charge for help in this matter.

#EndPJParalysis - Get Dressed, Get Up, Get Moving!

During your stay in hospital, it is important to remain mobile and independnet. Spending just a few days in bed can be harmful to your muscles, causing deconditioning which can impact on your mobility.

We encourage patients to be dressed and mobile whilst in our care as their condition allows. Our hospital participates in the national #EndPJParalysis campaign. We ask that relatives bring the following items to help aid with your care and recovery:

Clothes:

• Night wear
• Suitable slippers(non-slip)
• Dressing gown
• Comfortable Day clothes
• Underwear
• Shoes (avoid backless shoes)

Toiletries:

• Hairbrush/comb
• Soap
• Facecloth
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste/denture cleaner
• Towels
• Tissues
• Shaving equipment
• Deodorant

The Hospital also supports and promotes 'John's Campaign'. If you have a relative with cognitive impairment, there are special measures in which we can arrange for visiting in line with the Organisations current guidance on visiting during the Covid-19 pandemic; this is so that you are able to help and support your loved one during their stay.

Mealtimes

We are currently operating open visiting between the hours of 10.00am and 7.30pm. We respectfully ask that patients have an uninterrupted mealtime, so they can eat their meals and be supported where necessary.

• Breakfast – 7:30am – 8:30am
• Lunch – 12 noon – 1pm
• Evening meal – 5pm - 6pm

Drinks are provided throughout the day and also with meals. If you would like to bring in additional snacks for a patient please speak to staff as these can be refrigerated/frozen for them.

Please note we are unable to reheat food brought in from outside for patients due to Health and Safety reasons.

Visiting Times

10.00am to 7.30pm daily. If you need to visit outside of these times, then please speak to the Nurse in Charge.

Visitor Facilities

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

There is a shop which sells cold food, drinks and magazines loacted at the main entrance of the hospital.

Hot/Cold drinks machine - There is a cold drinks machine located on the 1st Floor of the hospital. There is a vending machine which sells microwaveable food and hot drinks on the ground floor, next to the main entrance.

Visitors toilets - The nearest visitor toilets are located on the ground floor near the main entrance to the hospital. There are male, female and disabled access facilities as well as baby- changing located here.

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 is 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.

Teaching Students

ARCU is a teaching and learning environment, therefore you may come into contact with medical students and student nurses.
There may also be trainee therapists working on the ward. During your stay in hospital, procedures may be carried out by students and other healthcare professionals, as part of a recognised teaching/development programme. You do not have to take part if you do not want to and your treatment will not be affected in any way. Please let your nurse or doctor know.

General Information

Patients must accept responsibility for any valuables kept in their possession, but any items of value may be deposited in the hospital safe, or as a temporary measure, in the ward safe. You will be asked to sign a Patient Property Disclaimer for your belongings whilst in hospital.

Leaving the hospital

We’ll begin to talk to you about leaving the hospital (being discharged) as soon as possible after your admission so that we can help prepare you.

Once we’ve agreed your discharge date with you, you’ll need to talk to your family, friends or carers to make arrangements for your return home. If you feel you may require extra help with things such as washing and dressing or shopping when you go home, tell your nursing staff as soon you can.

On the day, once your doctor has told you that you are able to go home, there are a number of things that need to happen and it may take some time for all of these to be completed.

To ensure we have beds available for other patients who may need them, we will aim for you to be discharged before lunchtime.
 
Please make sure you take all your belongings with you, as well as any patient information leaflets, medicines and dressings you may need. You should also be given details of who to contact if you have any queries, along with a copy of your discharge summary which will include a list of medicines you need to take at home.

You should arrange for a friend or family member to collect you from the hospital. If your medical condition means that you need to be transported by ambulance your nurse will arrange this for you.

Once you are ready to go home, you may be transferred to the discharge lounge. This is a place where you wait to be collected by your carers, relatives or by an ambulance.

Tell us what you think about your stay

Feedback is of high importance to us and we value the opportunity to hear your thoughts regarding your stay!

To help us improve our service we encourage patients and carers to complete a ‘Friends & Family Test’ survey when you leave our ward which is sent by text via telephone. The comments our patients give get reviewed on a monthly basis and are a really valuable way of getting feedback on how we are doing and what we could improve on.

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.

If you have any concerns or complaints regarding your stay on ARCU, 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 Service (PALS) which is a confidential service that provides help, advice and information for patients, families and carers.

You can contact PALS by ringing 0161 778 5665 or by emailing pals@nca.nhs.uk

Contact Information

Acure Respiratory Care Unit (ARCU) - Ward 11A /11B Fairfield General Hospital. Rochdale Old Road Bury, BL9 7TD
Telephone Number:

Ward 11A - 0161 778 3108 or

Ward 11B - 0161 778 3109

Hospital Helpline - Fairfield General Hospital

Telephone Number: 0161 624 0420 (Switchboard) and asking them to bleep 1915.

PALS

Telephone Number: 0161 778 5665 Email: pals@nca.nhs.uk
Address: PALS Department, Unit 7/8 Whitney Court, Southlink Business Park, Hamilton Street, Oldham OL4 1DB.