Burns service

We are a regional unit and treat children from a large area covering South Yorkshire and surrounding areas. We see a large variety of injuries from scalds and flame burns to electrical and contact burns.

Initial appointment

The burns doctor and burns nurse will review your referral and photographs. The nurse will phone you and check how you and your child are doing, give you advice.

They will also make an appointment with you, for your child, to come to the ward to have their burn reviewed and redressed. This will be at some point in the next 4 days. This depends on the type of injury, dressings used, and so on. The appointment will usually be at either 9.30am or 12.30 midday. If we are very busy or your child needs to be seen more urgently, you may be given an alternative time. The initial appointment can take a couple of hours, but we will do our best to be as quick as possible.

During this appointment you will see:

• doctor
• nurse
• physiotherapist or occupational therapist

Your child’s dressing will be removed, their wound will be cleaned, swabbed and photographed.

The physiotherapist or occupational therapist will make sure your child is able to move properly and provide some exercises for your child to do while their burn heals.

A full history of your child’s health and well-being and how their injury happened, will also be done at this time.

Appointments after this are over a wider range of times and are usually much quicker at around 30 minutes to an hour. This depends on your child’s injury, and if they need extra pain relief, bathing, therapy input, and so on.

Please give paracetamol and ibuprofen to your child an hour before their appointment. Giving your child the pain relief before you arrive, means we may be able to remove the dressing when you arrive and decide what we are going to do next, without upsetting or causing unnecessary pain to your child. Your child may need more pain relief after the doctor has seen your child.

What facilities are at the Burns Unit?

The burns unit has 4 en-suite rooms, with space for a parent or carer to sleep. There is a treatment room and bathroom where dressing changes will take place. We have a Critical Care Unit available if required.

Most patients will be seen in the treatment room on the ward initially and then in the pink outpatients department for follow up. Around 8 to 12 weeks after the burn has healed you will be reviewed by the relevant members of the team. This is to help support you and your child after the injury, review any scarring and make a further treatment plan if needed.

Children requiring scar management will continue to be reviewed by our occupational therapists and have more reviews. Some children may be in our service until they transition to adult services at 16 years old.

Who’s who?

You may not meet each member of the team as your child’s treatment will be tailored to their individual needs.

Consultants

Consultants are doctors who specialise in burns care (children and adult) and will take the lead on your child’s care treatment and any surgery that may be required.

Burn clinical nurse specialist

A burn clinical nurse specialist is a paediatric (children’s) nurse who is has a specialist qualification in burns care and will take the lead on your child’s nursing care supporting the burns nurses with treatment decisions and care.

Burn nurses

Burns nurses include paediatric staff nurses, nurse associate and support workers. They work both on the ward and the outpatient dressing clinics.

Burn aftercare nurse specialist

A burns aftercare nurse specialist provides additional support to you, your child and family following a burn injury, both in clinic and by organising Theo’s Burns Club Events.

Burns and plastics registrar

A burns and plastics registrar is a senior doctor who are specialising in burn and plastics care of both children and adults. They help the consultant to provide care and treatment to our patients.

Physiotherapists

Children’s burn specialist therapists offer treatment and advice to maintain full mobility, range of movement and function following a burn injury.

Occupational therapists

Children’s burn specialists therapists offering treatment and advice on function, movement, splinting, equipment (if needed) and scar management following a burn injury.

Therapy assistants

Therapy assistants are trained staff who support the physiotherapists and occupational therapists to provide treatment to patients and also help with play sessions with patients to encourage necessary movement of injured areas.

Play specialists

Play specialists help to occupy your child with age appropriate activities and distraction during dressing changes.

School team

The school team are for children staying a while with us as an inpatient. They help to keep your child up with learning and school.

Clinical psychologist

A clinical psychologist will help to support you and your child’s mental health after a burn injury.

Specialist pain team

The specialist pain team help provide burns specific treatment for pain after an injury.

Dietitians

Dietitians specialise in giving children with burns specific nutrition advice and treatment.

Where is the Burns unit?

The Burns Unit is on Ward 2 and Burns, just near the hospital main entrance on Clarkson Street. Go up to floor B.

For more information about how to get to the hospital, please visit information about Sheffield Children’s hospital.