Critical care
Critical care is a ten bedded two bay adult unit with some facilities for emergency and short-term paediatric care. The unit provides intensive care for patients from all specialities who are critically ill. Support for the patient’s family and friends is also integral to this service
A patient who is critically ill is someone who requires
one-to-one 24 hour nursing and continuous advanced monitoring by a
trained critical care nurse, or a trained nurse who has undergone
induction into the speciality and is under the supervision of
trained critical care nurses. Many of the nurses in the unit have
many years of experience in this speciality. Critical care
consultants and medical staff are continuously present on the unit.
They provide expert knowledge regarding the critically ill patient,
in conjunction with the treatment and advice from the patient's
consultant, whether it is a physician or a surgeon.
Most of the patients are fully dependent, immobile and often
unconscious, so the critical care team has to meet all their needs,
including basic ones such as hygiene and nutrition
These patients are the sickest in the hospital and treatment
includes:
- Advanced respiratory support (Help with breathing often on a
'breathing machine')
- Renal support (dialysis)
- Plasmapheresis (some conditions (often autoimmune) by 'washing'
blood plasma )
- Cardiovascular support (heart and circulation with drugs or
machines, cooling therapy following cardiac arrest, balloon pump
etc.)
- Endocrine (e.g. diabetic ketoacidosis)
- Hepatic impairment (liver disease)
- Head Injury (accident or bleed)
- Following major surgical procedures
- Severe trauma (e.g. Road traffic accidents)
- Neuropathy (disease that impairs movement and breathing)
- Infectious diseases (There are four side-wards)
Critical care also provides advice for sicker patients on the
ward who are referred to the Outreach team and patients who are
discharged from critical care in order to reassure the patient and
support ward staff.
Contact us
Critical care: 01702 385049 / 385526