Location and contact
Floor: Level 7 of the Alex
Phone: 01273 523129
About the ward
The paediatric team on this 25-bed ward provide care for children and young people who are having surgery or medical treatment and going home the same day. The ward is next to the paediatric operating theatre suite and is open from 7am to 7.30pm Monday to Friday.
The ward has a warm, friendly and professional atmosphere and a family centred approach. Staff work with parents and carers to give each individual patient prompt, efficient and safe care.
The surgery carried out in the day case unit ranges from general surgery and dental to ENT and ophthalmology. Medical procedures include IV antibiotics and change of dressings.
The ward’s dedicated paediatric team includes surgical and medical doctors, nurses and health care assistants. It is supported by paediatric and clinical nurse specialists and has links with the community nursing team for ongoing care at home. Play specialists also visit the ward to distract children when they are having medical treatment.
There is secure swipe card access for staff, while parents can buzz to be let in. The ward has single bedrooms and spacious four-bed bays, all with their own child friendly ensuite bathrooms. There is plenty of room in the bays for children to play and parents to sit.
All bedrooms have child friendly non-opening low-level windows for children to look out of when they’re lying in bed. Each bed also has a telephone and mini-TV.
There is a playroom equipped with toys and games, as well as an adolescent room with mini-Snooker and TV. Parents have a quiet shared sitting room with vending machine, and a kitchen on the ward.
Children start to arrive at the unit from 7.30 am, and will have medical checks lasting about half an hour before their treatment. They start to go home from around midday.
Young children can choose to ride to surgery on a toy quad bike or in a Princess Car. Nursing staff use a “Monkey Book” with photographs of the ward’s toy monkey to explain what will happen during the day.
Location and contact
Floor: Level 8 of the Alex adjacent to the Critical Care Unit
Phone: 01273 696955 ext 2552
About the ward
The Surgical ward has 12 beds and is operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is supported by highly experienced paediatric nursing, surgical, medical and allied healthcare professionals – all of whom specialise in the care of children and young people.
The ward is a safe and secure environment for babies, children, young people and their families. Access is strictly controlled by a video entry system for visitors, and by an electronic card swipe system for staff with access rights to the ward. This will activate if the baby or child leaves the ward without the knowledge of nursing staff. In addition, the entrances to the ward are monitored 24 hours a day by video cameras linked to our security control room. All of this ensures that children are cared for in a safe environment.
Location and contact
Floor: Level 7 of the Alex
Phone: 01273 696955 ext 2503
About the ward
The Paediatric Critical Care Unit treats and cares for critically ill children and young people from Brighton, Hove and the wider Sussex area.
The unit has ten beds, receiving children from the operating theatre, A&E department, neonatal service and our partner paediatric intensive care units. The unit works in conjunction with the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Trevor Mann Baby Unit and the Adult Intensive Care Unit locally. The unit also works closely with the South Thames Retrieval Service and the Paediatric Critical Care Unit at the Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
The unit provides care to the standard of Critical Care Levels 1 and 2 for an indefinite time period, including longer term, non-invasive ventilation.
The unit also stabilizes critically ill children requiring retrieval to a regional paediatric intensive care unit for level 3 critical care, including ventilation.
The Paediatric Critical Care Unit has a nurse led outreach service which can carry out Paediatric Critical Care Unit-level assessment and, if necessary, treatment to the child within the Alex. The team also provides a mobile children’s pain management service, with support from the hospital’s Pain Management Group.
The unit develops the skills of both medical and nursing staff, as well as other members of the multi-professional team, through the Paediatric Critical Care Unit nurse educator.
The Alex has an active research programme, having developed the nationally recognised Brighton Paediatric Early Warning Score (PEWS). Further research will have an initial focus on infectious disease genetics.
Definitions of levels of care provided in Paediatric Critical Care
- Level 1 High dependency – Patients requiring closer observation and monitoring than is usually available on an ordinary children’s ward. This can include single organ support and monitoring or ‘step-down’ facilities for patients who no longer need intensive care but require continued detailed observation.
- Level 2 Critical care – Children needing continuous nursing support and who need ventilatory support, or support of two or more organ systems.
- Level 3 and above – Children with two or more organ systems needing technological support, including advanced respiratory support. They require intensive nursing supervision at all times and will be undergoing complex monitoring and/or therapeutic procedures.
Location
Floor: Level 9
Contact number: 01273 696955 ext 2416
About the ward
With 26 beds in total, the medical ward also incorporates the four-bed Oncology Day Care ward.
It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and cares for babies, children and young people up to the age of 19.
Access to the ward is strictly controlled by a video entry system for visitors and by electronic card access for staff that have access rights for the ward. The entrances to the ward are monitored 24 hours a day by video cameras linked to our security control room. All of this ensures that children remain in a safe environment whilst in the care of the teams on the ward.
The paediatric team is led by the ward manager and supported by a compliment of highly experienced paediatric nurses, surgical, medical and allied healthcare professionals, all of whom specialise in the care of children and young people.
The staff care for children with a wide range of medical conditions, including cystic fibrosis, asthma, diabetes, oxygen dependency, infectious diseases, complex needs, overdoses, psychiatric issues such as self harming and chest infections such as pneumonia, respiratory and metabolic disorders.
The approach to care is family centred, providing a comfortable and therapeutic environment. Care is provided in partnership with the individual child or young person, and their family or carers.
The ward is supported by dedicated play specialists who will spend time with children and young people during their stay. To support their work, the ward has a dedicated play area with toys for children and a separate room for adolescents with play stations, X-box and TV.
Also on the ward is a kitchen with fridge, freezer and microwave for parents use as well as a parent’s lounge with vending machine.
The ward has 19 single bedrooms with their own bathrooms, giving children and their parents or carers plenty of privacy and quiet. Two of these are designed for older children, with a semi-separated parents’ bedroom for more privacy. The other beds are in roomy four-bed bays with an en suite bathroom. These have plenty of central space for parents to sit and children to play with toys. All bedrooms have specially designed low-level windows for children to look out of when they’re lying in bed. All beds have a television allowing children access to a range of channels, from children’s programmes, to documentaries and films.
Mealtimes on the ward are protected times for children and young people. The menus are carefully chosen to be nutritious and feature food that children will recognise and eat. Vegetarian options are provided and, as the food is prepared on the ward, the hostess staff will try to provide something that a child would prefer if it is not on the menu.
Where necessary the hospital's team of community nurses will provide ongoing care for children at home. These nurses will visit the children on the ward before they are discharged and then will continue to visit them at home for as long as required. Some children who live locally may be allowed to go out for a few hours between doses of medication.
The entire nursing, surgical and medical team works collaboratively to ensure that the children of Sussex and beyond are given the highest quality of care so that they can recover and return home to their families as soon as possible.
Location and contact
Floor: Level 9
Phone: 01273 696955 ext 2433/2434
About the ward
The Oncology Day Care ward is located on Level 9 of the Alex, adjacent to the Medical ward and is for children undergoing cancer treatment. It is a safe and secure area and has its own entrance and exit so that children and young people who are immuno-suppressed and at risk of infection do not come into contact with patients on the main Medical ward.
Access to the ward is strictly controlled by a video entry system for visitors and by electronic card access for staff who have access rights for the ward. In addition, the entrances to the ward are monitored 24 hours a day by video cameras linked to our security control room. All of this ensures that children remain in a safe environment whilst in the care of the teams on the ward.
The ward is a large and spacious four-bed room with an ensuite bathroom. The ward is operational between 9.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday. It is supported by a compliment of highly experienced paediatric nursing, surgical, medical and allied healthcare professionals, all of whom specialise in the care of children and young people with cancer.
Children and young people who require a hospital admission for ongoing care are admitted to the Medical ward on the same floor. Again children who are at risk of infection are nursed in the single room facilities on the Medical ward or, if necessary, in one of the isolation rooms.
The approach to care is family centred, providing a comfortable and therapeutic environment. Care is provided in partnership with the individual child or young person, and their family or carers. The ward is supported by dedicated play specialists who will spend time with children and young people during their stay. To support their work, the ward has a dedicated play room.
All beds have a television allowing children and young people access to a range of channels, from children’s programmes, to documentaries, films, sport, and news, as well as music and DVDs.
The installation of pull-down day beds in all of the children’s rooms enables one parent to stay with their child during the day. Parents and carers also have their own lounge area and kitchen facilities. Parents can use the quiet rooms on the ward to meet privately with nurses and doctors to talk about their child, or for quiet reflection.
The Alex was one of the first units in the south east to establish a shared care oncology service for child cancer patients. The shared care team includes three chemotherapy trained nurses, a specialist oncology nurse, a CLIC Sargent funded social worker and community clinical nurse, and a dedicated pharmacist. An arts psychotherapist, play specialist, physiotherapist and dietician provide further support.
This team provides care for children with cancer who live locally, in partnership with regional centres such as Southampton, the Royal Marsden Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
The paediatric oncology service is now classified as a Level 3 shared care unit. A third consultant post with an interest in paediatric oncology was appointed in July 2018. This has enabled the service to deliver the requirements for a Level 3 POSCU unit, improving sub-speciality cross-cover, delivering services for adolescents according to National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance for children and young people with cancer, and developing clinical research and audit. It is also anticipated that palliative care, late effects and transitional care services will benefit.
The team works together with families and patients to provide a comprehensive and supportive service, both within the hospital and at home. Where possible, children are seen in the community to allow them to continue with their normal life as much as possible.
Mealtimes on the ward are protected times for children and young people. The menus are carefully chosen to be nutritious and feature food that children will recognise and eat. Vegetarian options are provided and, as the food is prepared on the ward, the hostess staff will try to provide something that a child would prefer if it is not on the menu.
The entire nursing, surgical and medical team works collaboratively to ensure that the children of Sussex and Kent are afforded the highest quality of care so that they can recover and return home to their families as soon as possible. Our community nursing team works closely with the ward team to provide care and nursing support at home once the child has been discharged from hospital.
