Patients on the Critical Care Unit are looked after by a specialist team of medical and nursing staff providing dedicated care 24 hours a day. They work in close collaboration with the other specialist teams across the hospital and are supported by a multidisciplinary team of therapists and practitioners.
The following staff provide daily input into patient care but this list is not exhaustive.
Doctors
The doctors and advanced nurse practitioners are responsible for the day-to-day medical management of the patients on critical care. Care is led by a consultant in intensive care medicine 24/7.
There will also be medical or surgical doctors from other specialities relevant to the patient’s condition who review the patient as required.
Critical Care Nurses
Critical care nurses have specialist skills and training in the field of critical care. They are experienced at managing the critically ill patient.
There is a Senior Sister/Charge Nurse allocated on every shift.
Pharmacist
The pharmacist provides daily review and discusses medication with the team, checking drug charts and medications as well as giving advice when required.
Physiotherapists
The physiotherapist team will come to the unit twice a day. They deliver expert care, either for helping with the chest and breathing or rehabilitation and movement of limbs preventing problems in later recovery.
Dietician
Our dietician reviews patients and prescribes nutrition required based on the calories specific for their needs. Patients may not always be able to eat and drink on critical care. There could be a number of reasons for this including sedation, inability to safely swallow or impaired function of the digestive system.
On occasions the patient is fed via a nasogastric (NG) tube. This tube passes through the nose and feeds the patient directly into their stomach. There may be a requirement for nutrition to be provided through an intravenous access line.
Microbiologist
Daily review is available by the consultant microbiologist. They review the need for medications such as antibiotics and provide expert advice on management of infections.
