Coronary care unit (CCU) - Ward K3

This information provides advice to help you with your stay on K3/CCU, but if you have any further questions or queries, please ask a member of the team.

Bed space

Due to pressures on beds, there may be an extra bed space created in a bay, this is a Trust strategy to release patients from the emergency department and ensure they are admitted to a bed on a ward if required. This bed space is in addition to the 21 existing spaces- you may be moved to this bed space if the nurse in charge and medical team think that this is appropriate.

During your stay with us, it may be necessary for us to move you to another bed space, the reasons for this could include:

• the need to make a cardiac monitor available
• the need to create a CCU bed
• infection control reasons or other reasons deemed clinically needed by the nurse in charge, Drs or bed managers.

We will always endeavour to undertake these moves within day hours at a reasonable time, however due to clinical need, this is not always possible. We appreciate your understanding at these times.

We appreciate that being in hospital can make time pass very slowly. As well as the patient line TV service, there is free patient Wi-Fi.

We have a selection of books in our relative’s room- if you are being cardiac monitored and we have recommended that you do not mobilise, please ask a staff member to pop down for you.

We also have activity packs, kindly donated by ACT which include colouring, word searches and cross words. We have a DVD player and a selection of DVD for you to use.

K3/CCU clinical staff

• Senior clinical nurse: Lynette Dabbs
• Senior charge nurse: Joseph Cherian
• Band 6 team: Nadine Beckwith (Practice Development Nurse), Eiffel Juan, Patrick Obita, Jemini Pulimootil, Lincy Mathew, Suzy Neale and Jane Briones.

We also have a team of staff nurses and healthcare assistants to help you during your stay.

Staff uniforms

• Senior clinical nurse - Navy blue with pale green piping
• Senior sister - Navy blue with white piping
• Practice development sister - Navy blue with grey piping
• Junior sister/charge nurse - Royal blue
• Staff nurse - Light blue
• Healthcare assistant - Blue, grey and white striped uniform or white tunic with yellow, grey or burgundy epaulettes/belt.

Visiting

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. Children may visit at the discretion of the nurse in charge and must be strictly supervised by a parent or guardian.

To help us prevent the spread of any infections, please ask visitors to use the hand rub or wash their hands at the entrance to the ward on arrival and on leaving. Visitors are invited to wear a surgical mask for the duration of their stay when visiting the hospital.

Nutrition information

Meal times

• Breakfast – 08:00am
  A choice of cereals, fruit, fruit juice, hot beverage or toast.
• Lunch – 12:30pm
  A two course meal or cold option, with hot beverage.
• Supper – 17:15pm
  A two course meal or cold option, with hot beverage.

Hot drinks are served between meals, as well as with meals.

Drinking water is placed at every patient’s bedside (unless nil by mouth).

As K3/CCU is a long ward, housekeeping staff will rotate where they start to ensure fairness to CCU and K3 patients.

For some cardiac conditions, doctors will recommend a fluid restriction for you, if this is the case, they will inform you and nursing staff will monitor your fluid intake and at times output. We don’t routinely give salt, due to being a cardiac ward, but will supply it if requested.

Special diets such as vegan, halal, soft consistency are available, please speak to a member of the nursing or housekeeping team to order these.

Vegetarian options are available on the normal ward menu.

If you miss a meal, we will offer you an option from the missed meals service.

Your stay

We appreciate that being in hospital can make time pass very slowly. As well as the patient line TV service, there is free patient Wi-Fi.

We have a selection of books in our relative’s room- if you are being cardiac monitored and we have recommended that you do not mobilise, please ask a staff member to pop down for you.

We also have activity packs, kindly donated by ACT which include colouring, word searches and cross words. We have a DVD player and a selection of DVD for you to use.

Ward routine

Times are approximate and may vary.

06:00 – Nursing staff will check vital signs for all patients, this time may include some medication, IV medications and blood glucose testing

07:15-07:45 – Staff handover time

08:00 – Nursing day team will come round, introduce themselves and update your information boards

08:30 – Nurses will commence drug rounds, HCA will undertake relevant ECG, daily weights where needed and then start making beds, offering assistance with personal care

11:30 – Vital signs where indicated, blood glucose monitoring where indicated

12:00 – Lunch

13:00 – Medication rounds

16:30 – Vital signs for all patients, blood glucose monitoring where indicated

17:00- Medication rounds

19:15-19:45 – Staff handover time

20:00 - Night staff will come round to introduce themselves; they will check the oxygen and suction at your bed space

21:00 – Vital signs where indicated, blood glucose monitoring where indicated and medication rounds

22:30 – Lights out. At other times medications and vital signs will be required as needed.

If you have chest pain, fluttering in your chest or feel generally unwell, please call for assistance as soon as possible, so that we can assess at the time.

Doctors will see every patient every day, it will not always be a consultant, but the doctor who saw you will discuss the plan with you at the time, and with the rest of the ward medical team and nurse in charge at the end of their shift.

Sleep sound, sleep safe

We acknowledge that sleep assists recovery and is very important for your physical and emotional wellbeing. Staff endeavour to keep noise to a minimum overnight to promote good sleep.

Most patients on K3/CCU will be cardiac monitored. This is so that staff can look at cardiac rhythms, and action any issues that present. The cardiac monitors are sensitive by necessity, and alarm on some movement as well as for cardiac arrhythmia, staff can see the readings at the nurse’s station and will assess if action is required.

We can silence the alarm from there, but this is a clinical decision, based on us reading the monitor. We acknowledge that the monitor noise can be alarming and at times annoying to patients, but please be assured that we are checking them, and actioning as needed, however, some monitors may alarm over and over. If this becomes a problem, please let the nurse in charge know and we may be able to adjust the volume at the bed space monitor so it doesn’t disturb you so much.

Your procedures

We will endeavour to keep you updated about planned procedures. Please ask a staff member if you have any queries.

When am I going to Papworth?

The answer is that we check the communication system between CUH and Royal Papworth hospital regularly through the day. Dates given on the system are subject to change, for example if your blood results indicate that we need to wait, or give a different treatment, or if there are emergencies or bed issues at Papworth, we will keep you informed as we find out.

When am I being discharged?

Please ask your doctor at ward round when they expect you to be discharged.

When is my procedure?

For some procedures or scans, we don’t have a date, the area may manage their own list and this isn’t available to us. We will inform you of dates as we find them out.

Discharge

We will keep you updated with discharge plans as far as is possible. On the day of discharge, you may go to the hospital discharge lounge, to await collection by family or carers.

Hospital transport is not routinely available, except where there is a clear medical need. Please ensure you have appropriate keys to access your property and consider arranging for someone to put the heating on and obtain shopping before you go home.

If there are concerns about your discharge, it is vital to raise these with any member of staff, as early as possible during your admission.

For more information on discharge, please read our 'heading home from hospital' patient information page.

Privacy and dignity

Same sex bays and bathrooms are offered in all wards except critical care and theatre recovery areas where the use of high-tech equipment and/or specialist one to one care is required, this includes CCU.

We have supplied a push button call bell to this space and a surrounding curtain for your privacy.

Complaints and compliments

If you have any concerns or compliments, please raise these with the nurse in charge so that they may be dealt with at the earliest opportunity.

We value your feedback. If you feel it appropriate, please fill in our electronic patient questionnaire available in the ward before discharge.