F3 is a 26 bedded children’s ward, including eight overnight beds, caring for children aged 0 to their 16th birthday. We provide care for children attending hospital for a variety of medical or surgical procedures. Some children arrive for booked surgical procedures and some following treatment in the Emergency Department. We also see children attending for minor tests, investigations and infusions.
Planning your stay
We will contact you the evening before admission and provide you with nil by mouth times for your child and answer any questions you might have. There may be a period of waiting before surgery so it may help to bring some toys / games / books to distract your child. We do have toys, games and DVDs available in the playroom to help make waiting easier. Please bring in any medications that your child is currently taking.
List orders
Each surgeon is allocated to an operating theatre for the day, with planned operations commencing at 08:30 and finishing at 18:00. The order in which children will have their operations is normally decided upon by the consultant surgeon the day before. There are many factors taken into consideration when a list order is compiled, such as age, underlying condition, type of operation, equipment, post-operative care, and combined procedures with other specialists.
List order changes
There are various reasons for a list order to change. Some are patient-related factors such as if your child is found to be unwell, further tests are required, or the length of operations that day. Other reasons are non-patient factors, such as equipment not being available, appropriate bed spaces being unavailable, or an emergency operation.
You will be kept updated in such a situation by the nurses and doctors. Your child may be moved to a different position on the operating list but despite our best efforts to prevent cancellations, a few children may need their operation rescheduled to a different day. If your child’s position within the list order changes, your child will be given additional drink where appropriate.
We appreciate that waiting for your child to have their operation is an anxious time and changes to list orders can add to this anxiety. We assure you that we will do our best to ensure minimal changes are made to our list orders. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
If you have any further questions please feel free to ask to speak to the nurse in charge or a member of the surgical team.
On your arrival
You will be checked in to the ward by the ward clerk and may be allocated a bed or asked to wait in the playroom / waiting room until a bed is available. On arrival, you will also be given a leaflet which explains what facilities are available on the ward and where things are during your stay. Once your bed is available, your allocated nurse or a Healthcare assistant will show you to the bed space and the nurse will then ask you questions about your child to enable us to care for them appropriately.
You will be given the opportunity to ask questions at any time throughout your child’s stay. If your child is admitted for a surgical procedure, they will be allocated a bed space when one is available and required, so that you can begin make yourself and your child comfortable.
The ward also operates a Pre Assessment Unit, before surgery you should have an assessment which is either face to face or over the telephone with a nurse to ensure there are no complications ahead of surgery. If other investigations are needed such as bloods, swabs or images you may be asked to come to the area pre-operatively.
If your child requires admission overnight, you will either stay in one of the eight overnight beds on Ward F3 or be transferred to another paediatric inpatient ward. One family member is permitted to stay overnight and a bed next to your child will be provided.
Visiting hours
There are no set visiting times for parents, however only one adult can be present at the bedside at any given time.
If your child is attending for theatre, please be aware that only one parent is allowed into the anaesthetic room.
When you have visitors, please be considerate of other patients who may be feeling very unwell. A lot of noise or commotion may prevent them from resting. Visitors must be discussed with the nurse in charge or the ward manager.
Please do not attend the hospital if you are suffering from any potential infectious condition.
Plan of care
Following admission, either from home, the Emergency Department, or another ward, your allocated nurse will complete some paperwork, checking details with you. They will then take and record your child’s pulse rate, temperature, oxygen levels and breathing rate. They will also need to be weighed, have their height measured, and have swabs taken for MRSA. These are important measurements to ensure that your child is fit and healthy for the procedure. They also provide a baseline prior to undertaking any procedure or investigations.
If your child is having an operation, the doctors (both medical and surgical specialties) and anaesthetist (if necessary) will then visit you and your child on the ward. They will complete or check the consent form outlining the procedure to be undertaken, having fully explained everything to you. This will give you the opportunity to ask questions regarding the procedure.
Our play specialist can visit you and discuss having an operation with your child to help prepare them for the surgery with the use of pictures, dolls and discussion. This may help to relieve any anxieties. Please let the nurse on arrival if you feel this will be beneficial to your child
When your allocated theatre slot is ready, the theatre support staff will collect your child and take them to theatre, along with a member of staff from the unit. Only one parent is allowed into the anaesthetic room, in addition to the nurse, to comfort your child whilst they are given the anaesthetic.
The nurses will then take you to the recovery area where they will ask for your mobile number so that they can contact you when your child is waking up in recovery. This allows you to be able to get some food and a drink whilst your child is in theatre.
If your child is not having an operation you will have been informed by the doctors of the plan of care, as all children are different.
Discharge
The doctor will come to speak to you following your child’s surgery either in the recovery room or back on the ward, giving you a chance to ask any questions. Once your child has fully recovered from the anaesthetic, this may take a few hours, we can start the discharge process. For children requiring an overnight stay we plan for a timely discharge by 12:00 the following day.
Your nurse will discuss aftercare advice with you and will be able to answer any questions you may have. If any medicines have been prescribed, these will be explained and written down for you on your discharge letter. Your nurse will discuss your follow-up appointment if required. If there are any questions or concerns your nurse is unable to answer, your surgeon can be contacted.
Upon going home, the nursing or ward staff will ask you or your child to complete a simple feedback questionnaire in the form of an iPad survey. The information gained from this will enable us to make positive changes on the ward to enhance patient experience.
Infection control
- If you or your visitors are unwell, please do not come onto the ward. Some of our patients are vulnerable to infections due to their illnesses.
- If you or any of your visitors have diarrhoea or vomiting, please inform your nurse and prepare to go home. Visitors must be clear of infection for 48 hours before visiting.
- Alcohol gel is provided throughout the ward. To help us prevent the spread of infection please use this on entering and leaving. On occasion the nursing staff may inform you of the need to wash your hands with soap and water instead of using the gel.
- Please limit the amount of property you bring with you as cluttered bed spaces are difficult to clean.
- Addenbrooke’s has a number of advice leaflets for patients and their visitors about infection control.
If you do not have access to the Internet, please contact PALS on 01223 216756.
Who contact for further advice / information
For further information about Ward F3, please contact the ward clerk or senior sister on 01223 217567. To discuss care issues please contact the senior sister or nurse in charge.