Department of Critical Care Medicine

The Department of Paediatric Critical Care Medicine consists of the The Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and  the Paediatric High Dependency Unit (HDU).

The Unit has 12 beds, four utilised as High Dependency beds.  Each year approximately 700 babies and children are admitted to the Unit, with approximately 100 retrievals from remote areas.

The Paediatric Intensive Care Unit is a self contained facility that provides complex multi-system life support for children. It acts as the tertiary referral centre for critically ill children in South Australia, the Northern Territory, Western NSW and Western Victoria. The Unit has 12 beds, four of which are utilised as High Dependency beds with flexibility to have 12 PICU patients if necessary. Each year there are  approximately 700 patients admitted, with about 100 retrievals from remote areas. The four full time medical staff are recognised by the relevant Specialist Advisory Committees as Specialists in Intensive Care. Nursing Staff also have specialist qualifications in Intensive Care. There is a Registrar within the Unit at all times.

The PICU provides the following services:

• Paediatric Critical Care Services for South Australia, the Northern Territory, western NSW and western Victoria Intra-Hospital Emergency Resuscitation Team
• Trauma Team
• Emergency Department Resuscitation Team
• Telephone advice to General Practitioners, Ambulance Personnel and health professionals in remote areas
• Paediatric Retrieval Service for South Australia, the Northern Territory, Western NSW and Western Victoria
• South Australian Paediatric Major Trauma Service.
• Care of patients on Home Ventilation Rural work and outreach education
• Advanced Paediatric Life Support workshops
• Trauma workshops
• Vocational Registrar Training, Faculty of Intensive Care, Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists
• Paediatric Critical Care Course for Registered Nurses In-service programmes for postgraduate and undergraduate medical and nursing staff

PICU provides an atmosphere where staff, patients and their families feel valued and cared for. In providing such an environment people can obtain a high level of job satisfaction while striving to provide the best care possible.

The High Dependency Unit cares for children and babies whose medical conditions require close observation.  HDU has machines which can provide continuous electronic monitoring, measuring heart rate, oxygen levels, breathing rate and blood pressure.

Information for Families

Parents and caregivers

We welcome the involvement of parents and caregivers while children are in PICU/HDU.

There is a small waiting area with tea and coffee making facilities outside PICU/HDU.  Please let the nurse caring for your child know if you leave the Unit in case we need to contact you. 

For safety reasons do not bring food or drinks into the Unit.

One parent/caregiver is welcome to stay in the Unit overnight.  There are comfortable reclining chairs for you to sleep in. There is one room for parents close to the Unit.  This is for temporary accommodation only. The shift coordinator will allocate the room on a prioirity basis.

Accommodation is available within the hospital grounds at a nominal charge.  Nearby hotel or motel accommodation is also available.

The Butterfly Card scheme assists families where children are admitted to hospital for an anticipated period of more than a week or who have frequent admissions or outpatient/day therapy appointments.

Please ask the nurse who is caring for your child if you wish to see a social worker, interpreter or minister of religion.

Caring for your child

A team of health professionals provide all the care your child needs.  This may include doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, social workers, dieticians, radiographers and others.

At all times there is a doctor present in PICU/HDU.  For each shift there is a nurse assigned to care for your child.  There is also a senior nurse who coordinates the care of children for each shift.

Services and facilities

Meals for parents and caregivers are available from the cafe.

Mobile phones interfere with sensitive medical equipment and must not be used in PICU/HDU. A pay phone is located in the corridor outside the Unit. 

So that PICU phones are not tied up by calls from concerned relatives or friends we ask that you nominate a family member or friend to let relatives know of your child's condition and relay messages.  Nursing staff will take messages and pass them on to you but we cannot give details about your child's condition to anyone other than parents or guardians.

Car parking is available on or near the hospital grounds. 

Visiting

Visiting PICU is different from the rest of the hospital.  Only two people may visit at a time and it is preferable that only immediate family visit.

Parents, care givers, siblings and grandparents may visit 24 hours a day.  For other family members and close friends visiting times may be negotiated with the nurse caring for your child.

Visitors must ring the doorbell prior to visiting the unit.  It is important that all visitors wash their hands on entering and leaving the unit.  It is important that people who are unwell do not visit the Unit.

You may wish to make arrangements for other siblings to be cared for while you are visiting particularly if your child is very tired.  Siblings may be cared for in the WCH creche.

Hours

24 hours

Contact Information

Unit Heads

Head, Department of Paediatric Critical Care Medicine
Dr Steeve Keeley

Nursing Unit Head, Paediatric Critical Care
Ms Pauline Sanderson

Location

3rd Floor, Reiger Building

Mailing Address

Department of Paediatric Critical Care Medicine

Women's and Children's Hospital

72 King William Road

North Adelaide 

South Australia 5006

Phone/Fax/Email

Ph (08) 8161 7238

Fax (08) 8161 7457

Email cywhs.picuclinnurse@cywhs.sa.gov.au

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