Children's Wards
The Children’s Ward is staffed by Doctors and Nurses who specialise in treating children and are available 24 hours a day to assess and care for children.
About us
The Children’s Ward is staffed by Doctors and Nurses who specialise in treating children and are available 24 hours a day to assess and care for children. The ward cares for children up to their 18th birthday (for 16 to 17 year olds it may be more appropriate for them to be cared for on an adult ward. This will be discussed with them).
We have three high dependency beds on the ward for very unwell children. Children who require more specialised treatment are generally referred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital or Leeds Paediatric Intensive Care Units through Embrace (specialist transport service in Yorkshire and Humber for critically unwell babies and children).
There are family-friendly rooms for children and facilities for a parent or guardian to stay in a bed next to children overnight. These are a mix of individual cubicles and beds in bays. The ward can care for up to 30 children.
The ward includes a playroom, dining room, therapy rooms, and a separate room for older children.
In addition to the Children’s ward beds there is also the Children’s Day Surgery Unit and the regional Children's Burns Unit next to the Children’s ward.
What our patients say
All staff involved in my sons care from admission to discharge provided excellent service.
Children's surgery
The following video has been produced to help children awaiting surgery to know what to expect when they're admitted to the Children's Ward. Knowing what to expect can help children and families to be prepared and can alleviate concerns.
Video transcript: Children’s surgery.docx[docx] 15KB
Call 4 Concern
What is it?
Call4Concern is a trust-wide patient safety initiative that we are launching on our paediatric ward, Gate 46. Call4Concern is being launched in response to Martha’s Rule.
Martha’s Rule is a government-led scheme that is being driven by NHS England in response to the tragic death of Martha Mills, a child who sadly passed away despite parents raising concerns to medical staff that she was deteriorating.
Call4Concern promotes the role of parents and caregivers. As a trust we recognise that you know your child and their condition; if you are concerned they are becoming more unwell, we want to ensure there is a robust process in place that recognises this and enables you to act on behalf of your child.
Call4Concern is a system that allows family members to call a number for help and advice if:
• you notice a deterioration (worsening) in the child's condition
• you raised this concern with the medical and nursing staff on the ward, and you do not feel these concerns were addressed.
This service will run 24hours per day, every day of the year.
The calls will be handled by senior nurses, and they will be escalated appropriately to the paediatric doctors. Your child will be reviewed by a paediatric consultant and if deemed necessary there will be a discussion with paediatric intensive care.
The aim of this service is to recognise children deteriorating (becoming more unwell) early and act appropriately to ensure positive outcomes. We also believe this service will strengthen our relationship with patients and families.
When to call?
If you are worried about your child, we recommend that you do the following:
• escalate to nurse/doctor on the ward
• still worried, speak to the Nurse in Charge
• still worried, call 01924 541688.
You will need to give your child’s name and their bed location and provide a summary of your concerns.
Please note that this is a positive system endorsed by our staff and wider trust and there will not be any repercussions for escalating your concerns.
When not to call?
• If you have a complaint – please contact Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on 01924 542972 or by email to tr.palsmidyorks@nhs.net
• To report concerns regarding discharge, wanting further tests, delay in admission or general ward queries, for example food/car parking.
This is strictly a system to raise patient safety concerns.