Welcome to Paediatrics & Child Health
Neonatal Unit – Level 1 in women & children unit next to ICU
Children’s Ward – Level 2 in women & children unit
There is a two day induction to the department which includes a departmental tour, introduction to the rota co-ordinator and advice on prescribing medication and fluids from the paediatric pharmacists. There will be teaching on how to complete baby checks, neonatal resuscitation simulation, neonatal blood taking and use of the neonatal computer system “Badger”.
Key Contacts
- Dr David Watson (consultant) – Middle Grade Lead
- Rachael Angusfelton – Rota Coordinator
In the event of illness contact Women and Children’s page holder (#1111 via switchboard) who will let staff know
Day to Day – Children’s Ward
This shift is usually 09:00-17:00, 12:00-21:30 or 09:00-21:30.
Day starts with handover in the teaching room on Children’s Ward and pick up a paediatric handover sheet and the children’s ward SHO page. You will usually wear smart clothes on the children’s ward. The team consists of a consultant, registrar, FY2/GPST plus two back shift doctors (registrar and SHO).
After handover there will be a consultant ward round followed by a board round with nurses in the doctor’s office.
SHO Responsibilities:
- Updating ward round notes, plans and investigations
- Clerking in new patients and presenting to oncall registrar
- Completion of discharge letters
- Updating handover documents
- Completion of ward round tasks including procedures, investigations and referrals
Registrar Responsibilities:
- Carry the on-call/referral page
- Clerk in and assess new patients presenting to the unit
- Join in the ward round with medical and nursing team
- Act as point of contact/advice for SHO colleagues
Day to Day – Neonatal Unit
This shift is usually 09:00-17:00 or 09:00-21:30.
Day starts with handover in the teaching room on the paediatric ward and team consists of a consultant, registrar, ANNP and FY2/GPST. After handover you will go on the consultant ward round starting in the neonatal intensive care unit. Notes are recorded on the Badger computer system. Usually two laptops are taken, one person will update the ‘daily summary’ with diagnoses/medications and interventions, and will look up relevant results.
SHO Responsibilities:
- Ward round tasks and procedures
- Update families, nurses and AHP of progress of changes to management
- Attend neonatal emergencies and delivers with registrar
- Cover post-natal ward at weekends or quiet times
Transitional Care/Postnatal Ward
This shift is 08:00-16:00 Mon-Fri which you will do for the full week
Handover takes place at 8am in the children’s ward. You are based in baby examination room on ward 8. This ward will be made up of well post-natal babies and ‘transitional care’ babies who are well enough not to require admission to the neonatal unit but may need IV antibiotics, or phototherapy.
SHO Responsibilities:
- Newborn baby checks/examinations
- Bloods and ward based tasks
- Join the neonatal ward round for transitional care babies
Staffing & Rota
The tier 1 rota consists of four FY2s, two CDFs and four GP trainees. The rota varies from week to week: typical shifts include ward/NNU short days (09:00-17:00), ward/NNU long days (09:00-21:30), ward backshifts (12-21:30), post-natal ward short days (08:00-16:00) and nights (21:00-09:30).
Weekends will be Fri-Sun long days on either neonates or children’s ward.
The tier 1 staff also includes one neonatal nurse practitioner and one paediatric nurse practitioner who cover the same SHO duties but are not on the same rota. They will sometimes work as an extra body on the ward or fill in gaps on the SHO rota.
There are eight registrars and two speciality doctors on the tier two rota along with two advanced neonatal nurse practitioners.
There will be one “consultant of the week” on the ward for paediatrics and one for neonates, and they rotate weekly. There is a different consultant on call each night during the week.
Education
There is weekly teaching on Thursdays at 1pm led by trainees: slots are allocated via a teaching rota. There is also teaching on Fridays at 1pm with a cake rota. This varies between video conference with tertiary centres/simulation/specialist meetings such as retrieval meetings or perinatal M&M
Useful Info
For NNU and baby check shifts you will usually wear blue scrubs, these are found in the changing rooms next to labour ward.