Welcome to ward 4

Welcome to Ward 4

The ward is located on D floor and can be accessed by using the purple lifts. The ward telephone number is 0114 271 7524.

Ward 4 is a general medical ward that cares for children with a range of different medical conditions up to 16 years of age.

During your child’s time on the ward, they will be cared for by different medical professionals, including nurses, support workers and doctors. Sometimes there will also be student nurses working with the nurses as part of their training.

We understand that having a child in hospital can be worrying, but we hope that this and out other resources can help to answer some of your questions.

Covid-19

Because of Covid-19, members of staff will wear a face mask, gloves and apron when having face-to-face contact with your child. You and your child do not need to wear a face mask, but please be aware that this guidance might change.

Ward Routine

Nurse handover is between 7am and 7.30am, and 7pm and 7.30pm. After this, the nurse or Support worker who is caring for your child will come to introduce themselves.

Medical handover is after 10am, although specific timing can vary depending on the specific team of doctors that are responsible for your child’s care.

Breakfast is available as soon as your child wakes up. Usually, somebody will come around and ask for your meal orders for the day and offer your child some breakfast. If not, please do not hesitate to ask another member of staff.

Lunch and dinner options will be ordered in the morning. Lunch is served from 12 noon and dinner from 5pm. There are a small number of cold food options available on the ward outside of these times.

Visiting

2 people can be by your child’s bed space during the day. However, only 1 person can stay overnight. There are no specific visiting times, but we ask that you are respectful of the other patients on the ward and keep noise to a minimum at night time.

WiFi

Free NHS WiFi is available throughout the trust for all patients, parents and visitors. To connect:

• Select NHS WiFi from the list of available networks
• When prompted type in the password: ho5pital
• You will then be required to authenticate using one of the required methods (Google, Facebook, Twitter or text message). If the option to authenticate does not appear automatically, open your browser (Safari or Google)
• Once you have signed up, you will be redirected to a NHS page and your WiFi is connected

Facilities

In the parent’s and carer’s room, there is a microwave, toaster, fridge and kettle for you to use. If you are keeping food in the fridge, please label your food with name and date with the labels provided. Milk, bread, cereal and tea and coffee is provided.

Your child will have a cupboard or locker next to their bed that you can use to store other belongings. There is a grey chair next to every bed which can recline out into a bed for you to sleep on. The ward is also able to provide towels and toiletries including toothbrush, toothpaste and shower gel for you to used during your stay. Please ask a member of staff if you need any of these.

There are TVs at every patient bed space that are free to use. To reset them, press the small black button on the back of the TV screen.

If you have travelled a long distance, or your child is in hospital for a long period of time, there are a small number of rooms available in parent and carer accommodation managed by The Sick Children’s Trust called Treetop House. It is not possible to ‘book’ these rooms in advance and there is sometimes a waiting list for a room. If you would like to stay, please ask a member of staff.

Food and drink

There are a range of food outlets available throughout the hospital. The hospital canteen is on B floor and is open from: 8am till 11.30am, 12 noon till 2.30pm and 3.30pm till 7pm. If you are resident with your child for more than 4 days, you are entitled to a voucher for discounted food and drinks from the canteen. There is a WHSmith and Costa Coffee on A floor within the Outpatient’s Department where you will also find vending machines for cold drinks and snacks.

Parking

Q-Park across the road from the Hospital main entrance offers pay and display cark parking. If you are resident for more than 3 days, you can get a discounted parking pass. Please speak with the Ward Clerk if you would like one of these. There are also a small number of spaces available in the car park underneath the hospital which are also pay and display. The pick-up and drop-off area outside the main entrance is limited to 10 minutes.

Chaplaincy and prayer Rooms

The Chaplaincy Centre is available for people who wish to spend time in prayer or quiet reflection. The hospital has Chaplains from all denominations. It is on D floor accessed by the blue lifts. You can also contact the Chaplaincy team on 0114 271 17338.

Feedback

We try hard to make sure that patients and carers are happy with the care that they receive. There is a ‘feedback tree’ on the wall in the ward where you can write your feedback (green leaves for positive comments and brown leaves for negative). We are aware that we do not always get it right. If you wish to make a more formal complaint, please ask to speak with the Ward Manager or Nurse in Charge of the shift who will be able to advise about the hospital complaint’s process.

Discharge

It is not always possible to know how long your child will be required to stay on the ward. The decision is usually made by the medical team when they are happy that your child is safe to go home. If your child needs any medicines to go home with, these will need to be ordered from Pharmacy.