Critical Care Frequently Asked Questions

Critical care is for patients who our patients who have conditions and illnesses which may be life threatening and serious. Sometimes they need extra care and may need some equipment to help their body function normally.

Critical Care is the first ward on your left as you enter the building via South entrance. Walk through the new entrance and you will see the visitor entrance straight ahead of you.

From the Billing Road entrance, proceed along the corridor until you reach a T-junction. Turn left and follow the corridor, bearing right when you pass the PALS office and continuing past the Oncology Centre, until you come to the Hospital Street junction. Turn left. Carry on along Hospital Street, passing the chapel and pharmacy, until the corridor opens up on the right. Turn right and continue towards the exit past Abington ward. The Critical Care unit is located on the right before the left turn to the exit

You can visit between 13.00-19.00. These hours can be altered at the discretion of the nurse in charge. When arriving to the ward please ring the intercom and talk to a member of staff.

When coming onto the ward you will need to wash your hands and you may be asked to wear aprons or gloves however the nurse or doctor will explain this to you.

Please do not visit if you are ill. If you have had diarrhoea or vomiting please wait for 48 hours after the last symptoms before visiting. As the unit can be quite daunting and your loved one is likely to be very unwell, please discuss with the ward team about bringing young children to visit.

You can visit between 13.00-19.00. These hours can be altered at the discretion of the nurse in charge. When arriving to the ward please ring the intercom and talk to a member of staff.

Critical Care 01604 545885 and 01604 545544

Please do not visit if you are ill. If you have had diarrhoea or vomiting please wait for 48 hours after the last symptoms before visiting. As the unit can be quite daunting and your loved one is likely to be very unwell, please discuss with the ward team about bringing young children to visit.

Please only bring some essential toiletries for your loved ones. We’d ask you to take any other items such as valuables, clothes and sleepwear home.

We have a relatives room next to the ward where you can sit and have some time to talk with family or friends or have a quiet few minutes away from the ward. Remember to look after yourself during this stressful time. Take lots of breaks, eat well and stay rested.We’d advise going home to rest and sleep and we will always call you with any significant changes and you can always ring to ask us any questions or for an update.

We have a range of car parking facilities on site. These are detailed on the hospital map. You can get a parking permit for the week by talking to a member of the ward team.

We have a variety of places to get food in the hospital.

• Cliftonville Restaurant is open from 8.00- 18.00 daily located centrally on Hospital Street. 
• Café Royale open from 7.30-20.00 Monday- Friday is situated next to main reception at the Cliftonville entrance. 
• The Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) coffee bar is open from 9.00-16.00 Monday- Friday and is located in our oncology department. 
• Cyber Café provides 24/7 hot food options from their vending machine.
• There are also a number of other vending machines also available throughout the hospital.
• RVS run two shops on site:
  South Entrance open 7.00-20.00 Monday to Friday and 10.00-16.00 on Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays.
  Billing Road Entrance open 9.00-16.00 Monday to Friday.
   

All of these outlets take card however if you need cash there are two cashpoints on site. One at the Billing Road entrance and the other at the South entrance

We have produced a guide to what happens in the critical care department for patients and visitors. You can download this from the critical care visitors page.