About our services
The ward provides a comprehensive paediatric service both for elective and emergency care for all children up to the age of 16.
We provide specialist orthopaedic surgery, paediatric urology and ENT surgery and some specialist maxillo-facial surgery. Children with chronic disease continue to receive paediatric care beyond the age of 16 should this be required.
The paediatric High Dependency Unit (HDU) facility is used to care for very sick children.
Patients with complex needs
We offer a high standard of care to all children and their families, ensuring we provide the necessary amenities for children and families with complex needs. We have on the ward a hoist enabling patients to be transferred from bed to chairs or to the bath, ensuring safety of the patient and staff members. We have a bath that is height adjustable to allow easy accessibility for patients, also showers with seating and wheelchair access, and disabled toilets.There are several wheelchairs, two are specifically designed for younger children, available on the ward to aid in mobility.
Our staff
The service is staffed by a team of experienced registered sick children’s nurses who are supported by a number of health-care support workers. There is a specialist hospital play team, specialist dieticians and specialist physiotherapists. The medical team is led by an experienced group of Consultant Paediatricians who have diverse skills and expertise.
Facilities
We understand that your child's stay in hospital can be distressing and difficult for most families. Parents and carers are allowed to stay overnight in a pullout / portable bed by the child's bed. There are also a number of facilities for parents and carers on Amazon ward:
- A beverage bay - there is a fridge and microwave. Tea, coffee and sugar are provided free of charge
- A parents' sitting room
- Trolley service to purchase essentials from
- Parent bedrooms if your child needs to stay in the high dependency unit
- A breastfeeding room within the ward and baby changing facilities.
Unfortunately we can’t provide any meals for parents and visitors. You can bring a packed lunch with you as there is a fridge available where you can keep it cool. There is also a coffee shop and convenience store in the women's and children’s atrium. In the hospital main atrium there is a WH Smith, a Costa coffee and a Delimarche. The restaurant is on level one, in core A.
Mobile phones and televisions
Mobile phones are allowed to be used on Amazon ward; however we do ask that you respect children and their families in neighbouring areas as calls can disturb patients and their families.
- Phones should therefore be used with consideration to others, we suggest they are switched to silent or vibrate.
- Each bed space has a free television (except the high dependency unit) with a variety of channels to suit all ages.
Play facilities
There is a variety of child-friendly facilities on the ward; we have a play room, soft play room, and sensory room which provide stimulation and normalisation for children while in hospital. These areas provide age appropriate activities for children aged 0-11 years, varying from toddler toys, art and craft to board games and lots more.
The 'den' (teenagers room) provides teenagers with age appropriate equipment in a separate area to the younger children; this includes PlayStation 2, X-box and board games. The room is a space for teenagers to relax in and socialise with other children of the same age.
There is an outside garden area that consists of a selection of toys and seating areas to encourage children and families to enjoy some fresh air.
Children must be supervised in all these areas.
Gadgets such as Nintendo DS, Laptops, Portable DVD players are allowed on ward, however they can only be charged if the plug is a sealed unit