Paediatric Surgery / Urology Clinical Nurse Specialist Team – Information for parents and carers

Introduction

This information leaflet has been written to provide you with information about the CNS role within the paediatric surgery/urology team at Addenbrooke’s and The Rosie Hospitals.

What is a CNS and what do they do?

CNS’s are senior nurses who have undertaken further studies to develop specialist skills, knowledge and experience within a specific speciality area. As the CNS’s for paediatric surgery and urology, we are an integral part of the paediatric surgery team and work together to provide support and act as a continuing link throughout your child’s care.

We have many different roles across the paediatric service including inpatient clinical areas, day case clinical areas, outpatient clinic and the emergency department. Within these settings we:

• Provide teaching and support for you throughout your child’s treatment including your child’s diagnosis, surgery and after care.
• Provide specialist education and training for other staff and students.
  • You may see us providing training to other staff about aspects of your child’s care.
• Liaising with other professionals
  • Where required we liaise with other professionals in your child’s care team such as community nurses, health visitors, social workers, GP, local hospitals and school nurses, to help promote effective communication between professionals about your child and their care from a surgical perspective.
• Undertake specialist nursing procedures
  • We are trained to undertake a variety of procedures including urinary catheterisation, gastrostomy and jejunostomy tube changes, stoma care, bladder scanning and rectal/bowel washouts.
• Provide a range of nurse led clinics including for children needing follow up after surgery, for children needing assessment and management of enuresis (wetting) and urinary infection problems, and for children with gastrostomy/jejunostomy tubes.
• Provide specialist nursing services on behalf of the team, including non invasive urodynamics and biofeedback for children with bladder/voiding problems.
• Support the wider team in providing a coordinated and integrated approach to patient care
• Provide continuity for you and your child from diagnosis to discharge or, where applicable, through transition to the children’s wards and then on into the adult service.

Availability

The paediatric surgery CNS team are available Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) from 08:00 to 18:00.

We are usually present on the morning paediatric surgical ward round. The paediatric surgery team welcome your presence during ward rounds. Due to us needing to see all the babies and children on the ward round, we may not be able to speak with you in length during the ward round itself but we will arrange a mutually convenient time to come back and see you.

If you would like to talk to one of us whilst your child is an inpatient, please ask the nurse caring for your baby to contact us.

Contact details

After your child has been discharged you can contact us:

By phone

Our office: 01223 586973 (direct dial)
Please use this number for all routine questions or queries. Answer phone messages left before 16:00 on our working days will be answered on the same day.

Via main switchboard: 01223 254151
If you need to contact us urgently between 08:00 and 18:00 Monday to Friday you can call the switchboard and request that the operator contact us via our team mobile phone. You will be asked to ‘hold’ while your call is put through to us.

Team secretary: 01223 348162
Non clinical queries can be raised with our team secretary.

By email

Email the paediatric surgery CNS's
Please note that emails will be answered by telephone call and not by email reply to maintain the highest levels of confidentiality.

By post

Clinical Nurse Specialist Team
Department of Paediatric Surgery
Cambridge University Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Box 267, Addenbrooke’s Hospital
Cambridge Biomedical Campus
Hills Road
Cambridge, CB2 0QQ