The Royal Oldham’s Children’s Unit

Student Informa

tion/ Welcome Pack

Welcome to the children’s unit at The Royal Oldham Hospital. We all hope you enjoy your placement and

find information in this pack useful.

Our ward is a busy unit currently with a capacity for 20 beds with an additional 24 hour 6 bedded Observation

and Assessment Unit (O&A). We also have a two bedded high dependency room for patients requiring

1:1 or 2:1 nursing care.

The ward itself admits children from A&E, GP’s, Walk in Centres, O&A, Urgent Care Centres (UCC), Community Nurses and Midwives. We have an open access policy

for children that regularly attend the unit due to chronic conditions. This means parents can self-refer if their child is unwell as long as the situation is safe and

appropriate. The Children’s Unit also take planned surgical, orthopaedic and medical admissions.

Ward Philosophy

We aim to provide a high standard of care at all times which fulfil the needs of each individual patient and their families/carers, whilst

taking into account their physical, psychological, spiritual, cultural and social needs. In doing so, we aim to provide care which is non-judgmental and respects the values, health beliefs and choices of

each family.

We aim to provide care within the ethos of names nursing, understanding that each child needs to have an identified children’s

nurse who is responsible for co-ordinating their care.

We are committed to caring for each child as a family unit and recognise the importance of family participation in planning and

delivering care.

We recognise that health takes on many forms, and aim to promote good health and wellbeing for the children in our care.

We identify the need for the nurse to act as a patient advocate and in doing so support his/her best interest.

We recognise and understand the importance of communication with the child and their family/carer.

We recognise and understand the importance of play in children’s development and aim to provide an environment in which play is a

vital part of every child’s care.

We recognise the need for professional development of staff within the children’s unit in order to provide optimal, evidenced based care,

encompassing the ethos of shared governance. We aim to communicate effectively within the MDT and in doing so meet the

child’s individual needs from admission to discharge.

The care we provide will be continues with the children’s community nursing team (CCNT). The aim is to reduce the amount of hospital

admissions and the length of a child’s stay in hospital. It also ensures a smooth transition between hospital and home.

We endeavour to provide a warm and friendly environment in which children and their families can find support and reassurance which

are appropriate to their needs.

We are committed to creating and promoting an optimum environment for learning:

To support students in identifying both learning needs and experiences that is appropriate to their level of learning

To provide a range of learning experiences To facilitate personal and professional development of all

students and staff members.

As Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust OUR VISION is to be:

'A leading provider of joined up healthcare that will support every person who needs our services,

whether in or out of hospital to achieve their fullest health potential.'

Our Values

Our Values guide every action we take. They determine how we work and the promise we

make to our patients, their families, the public and each other as colleagues.

WE ARE: Quality Driven, Responsible, Compassionate.

The Nursing Team

Paediatric Matron- Joanne Veichmanis

Ward Manager- Malcolm Wallace

Advanced Nurse practitioner- Simone Gormon

Practice Educator- Julie Barkley

Sisters- Natalie North , Candy Cryer, Nicola Taylor

Karen Stanhope, Kelly Edwards,

Kylie Leyland, Paula Garlick, Rachel Crowther,

Leah Bloy,

Staff Nurses

Aysha Aktar Jennifer KellyShahanaz Begum Amanda KerriganShomitha Khatun Arwa Ghanem Robert Baron Saliha ShipaLaura Malik Naheed Mannan Sarah Greenwood Nazma BegumMary Hirst Katie BowlerJill Mundy Irsha Gul Lauren Hutchings Holly MartinBeth Thaker Beverley Dingley

Lines of work Agency nurses

Louise Rothwell

Jackie Brogan

Pam Ashton

Christianah Oko-Osi

Claire Ashby

Catherine walsh

Helena Ford

Health Care Support Workers (HCSW)

&Health Care Assistants (HCA)

Adele Cumpsty Kath GrantJoan Kurtz Kath Morris Andrea Clayton Natasha TaylorZahira Shaheen Carolyn BetherickJulie platt Paula Esbach

Play SpecialistsLouise Gallagher, Sarah Ogden, Lisa McMahon

Ward ClerksKelly Brooks Joyce GreenRita Sarson Carol Sutton

ConsultantsDr Mir

Dr MukherjeeDr Padmakumar

Dr OdekaDr OluwoleDr Panasa

Dr Rajagopal

Student team

University Link Lecturer (ULL)Elizabeth Charnock

Practice Education Facilitator (PEF)Sheryl O’Flanagan

Practice Education Link (PEL ) Amanda Kerrigan

(Amanda.kerrigan@pat.nhs.uk)

Naheed Mannan(Naheed.akhtar@pat.nhs.uk)

Sign-off Mentors- (PARE Access) Mentors- (PARE Access)

Candy Cryer Arwa GhanemNicola Taylor Shomita KhatunAmanda Kerrigan Naheed MannanBeverley Dingley Leah Bloy Paula Garlick Karen StanhopeRachel Crowther Natalie North

Kelly Edwards

Student Off Duty

Student off duty is completed in conjunction with the trained staff off duty. This is to ensure that students are working with their mentors at least 40% of their placement. Every effort is made to ensure that

all students have at least two weeks of off duty in the folder.

If you have any requests then please ensure your mentor is informed or a senior member of the team. However please be aware that due to the number of students in the clinical area your requests may not

always be granted.

Any changes to student off duty MUST be discussed and authorised by your mentor, senior member of staff or a member of the student

team.

Please remember to have each shift you have worked signed off by the member of staff you have worked alongside that day.

Hours of workEarly: 07:30 – 15:30 (1x 30 minute break) = 7.5 hoursLate: 12:30 – 20:30 (1x 30 minute break) = 7.5 hours

Long day: 07:30 – 20:30 (2x 30 minute break) = 12 hoursNight: 20:00 – 08:00 (2x 45 minute break) = 10.5 hours

Sickness and AbsenceIf you are unable to attend for your shift it is important that you

inform the unit and the university as soon as possible. Sickness and

absence is monitored and the university is notified of all student sickness.

Ward telephone numbers: 0161 627 8866 0161 627 8867

Learning Opportunities

The learning experiences are endless on the unit. You will experience a wide variety of medical and nursing interventions. Experiences and

learning on the ward will be vast if you are a keen and motivated student.

The ward has a grand round every Friday morning – please make sure you attend at least one of these.

Learning Materials

The unit encourages the sharing of knowledge and experiences through the MDT.

Learning packages, journals and intranet/internet access are available on the unit. Informal and formal teaching sessions are held on the unit which students can attend to gain knowledge and skills.

Library facilities are available onsite.

Paediatric Guidelines

During your placement please familiarise yourself with our trust paediatric guidelines. These can be found by;

Opening the trust intranet page Click on Policies and Documents

Click on Clinical Documents Click on Paediatrics

The Policies will then be listed

Spoke Placements/ Members of the MDT

Play Specialists

Children’s Outpatients

Children’s Community Nurses

Paediatric A&E

Neonatal Unit

Diabetic Nurse

Epilepsy Nurse

Paediatric Pharmacist

Physiotherapists

Dietician

Speech therapist

Occupational therapist

CAMHS

Theatres

Plaster Room

Mortuary

Please discuss the appropriateness of attending specific spoke placements with your mentor to help meet your learning outcomes.

Please indicate on the student off duty if you are attending a spoke placement so you are not presumed off/sick.

Definitions

Manchester Children’s Early Warning System (EWS) provides age specific parameters for physiological recordings, incorporating a tool to alert staff to the early detection of evolving critical illness. The six physiological parameters being employed when this tool is used are;

heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen requirements, systolic blood pressure, conscious level and capillary refill time.

Temperature

Pyrexia – Temperature above 38 degrees Hyper pyrexia – Temperature above 40 degrees Hypothermia – Temperature below 35 degrees

Pulse and Respiratory Rate

Tachycardia – Pulse faster than normal range for age group. Could be due to pain, anxiety, temperature, medication

Bardycardia – Pulse slower than normal range for age group. Could be due to deep sleep, medication, shock, haemorrhage

Tachypnoeic – Respirations faster than normal for age group. Could be due to pain, infection, fluid overload.

References

Hockenberry, M.J. Wilson, D. (2015) Wong’s Nursing Care of Infants and Children, 10th Ed. Mosby, Elsevier UK.

Samuels, M. Wieteska, S. (2014) Advanced Paediatric Life Support. 5th Ed. Wiley-Blackwell Publication

The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust Paediatric Guidelines for the use of Manchester Children’s Early Warning System - MANCHEWS

Terms and abbreviations you may come across whilst working on the children’s ward

ANTT – Aseptic non touch technique

APLS – Advanced Paediatric Life Support

AXR – abdominal x-ray

Apnoea – A period of absent breathing for more than 20 seconds

Apyrexial/Afebrile – Body temperature within normal

Aseptic – Sterile procedure

Aspirate – 1) To remove/ drain fluid

2) Fluid inhaled into lungs

Axilla – Arm pit

BD – Twice daily

Backslab – A temporary plaster for a fracture

BLS – Basic life support

BM - Blood sugar monitoring

Blanching rash – A rash that disappears when pressed

CAMHS – Children and Adolescent Mental Health Service

CT scan – Computerised Tomography Scan

CXR - Chest x-ray

CPAP – Continuous Positive Airway Pressure

Dynamap – Blood pressure machine

D&V – Diarrhoea and vomiting

ECHO – Echocardiogram

ECG – Electrocardiogram

EEG – Electric encephalogram

FBC – Full blood count

Ketones – A by-product of lipid breakdown

L.P – Lumbar puncture

MC&S – Microscopy, culture and sensitivity

MDT – Multi Disciplinary team

MRI – Magnetic resonance imaging

MSU – Mid stream urine

Nocte – Night

OD - 1) Overdose

2) Once daily

PRN – As required

QDS – Four times daily

Sats – Oxygen saturations

SCBU – Special Baby Care Unit

SHO – House officer

SpR – Reg/ Registar

TDS – Three times daily

UTI – Urinary tract infection