Welcome to Ward B11
B11 is the home of general surgery at FVRH, looking after acute and elective admissions under the care of the general surgeons. The ward is based on 1st floor of B block.
Key Contacts
- Clinical Lead – Mr Joey Crozier
- Senior Charge Nurse – Kris Robertson
- Pastoral Lead – Miss Liz Cannings
Day to Day
The general surgeons work in teams of 2 consultants, each of which will be paired with a registrar or middle grade doctor. A representative from each team will attend the ward each day around 8am to review their patients; they will be accompanied by one of the ward based FY1s.
Each week one team will act as the ‘receiving/oncall team’, they will generally have most patients on the ward and will often arrive a little later after seeing the overnight admissions to the surgical assessment unit.
After ward rounds the FY1s will arrange investigations, chase bloods and oragnise discharge as per ward round instructions.
At 4pm each team will check back into the ward to carry out an evening ward round or answer any questions about their patients. All consultants and registrars can be contacted through the day using the pager system. In an emergency the oncall consultant can be contacted using the wifi phone.
Typical Staffing
There are 5 FY1s based on B11, though most days there will be 3 rostered to be on the ward. There is additional backshift support from the late shift FY1 after 12pm most days.
FY1 Role
The ward FY1s are key to the running of B11 given that the surgical teams spend most of their time in clinic or theatre; however the department are extremely approachable and happy to support FY1s.
Typical tasks include:
- Venepuncture, cannulation, ABG
- Management of drains (troubleshooting with nurses)
- Review of sick patients
- Escalation of unwell patients to the responsible registrar
- Liaising with nurses and AHPs with regard to discharge planning
- Updating patients and families with results
Middle Grade Role
FY2+ doctors spend limited time on the ward but are expected to be available to support FY1s and nursing staff when required, and in a timely fashion. There is a rota for each week which generally rotates through:
- Oncall team/receiving within SAU
- Elective theatre list
- Outpatient clinics
- CEPOD theatre lists
You will be expected to attend ward rounds with your consultant team and deputise in their absence.
Education
There is a general surgery meeting every Friday morning in the B11 seminar room; this is a blended face to face and virtual session held using Microsoft Teams and there is a rota in place so that each week a trainee presents an interesting case or topic of there choosing. There are also regular M&M slots within this rota.
The surgical team are happy to support trainees in local QI work.
Useful Info
Many of the patients in B11 are receiving IV antibiotics, including vancomycin and gentamicin which means a significant number of levels to be chased. Where possible ensure these are put out with morning bloods, and keep a list of who needs these medicines prescribed each day. The MDT room whiteboard can be used to keep track of this info.