Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)
We specialise in caring for children from birth to 16 years with various heart or lung illnesses. In addition, we look after children who require intensive care following emergency and planned heart and lung surgery.
Visiting times
Following a period of visiting restrictions at our hospitals, we are now carefully welcoming back visitors. Take a look at the hospital visiting webpage for guidance.
Visiting times at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals operate seven days a week. Please check with the ward before your visit, as visiting times vary between wards.
Life on the Ward
We are proud of the exemplary standard of care in our wards. Our internationally recognised experts are equipped with the most up-to-date means of achieving as speedy a recovery as possible.
We care for many newborn babies with suspected heart disease referred to us from maternity units in other hospitals. We also look after children with breathing conditions, including bronchiolitis, tracheomalacia, Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular disorders.
There is a small sitting room on the unit and a kitchen where parents can make drinks and heat simple foods. Breastfeeding support and facilities are also provided for new mothers.
Your child will have their own nurse following surgery, particularly if they require mechanical assistance with breathing. Once they no longer require this support and are recovering, their nurse may need to look after two patients. The medical staff and nurse coordinating the shift assess each patient to make this decision.
Please ask your nurse at the bedside for any information you need, and let them know about any concerns you may have.
Rose Ward
Rose ward at Royal Brompton Hospital is a busy, happy place where your child’s health is a priority. We specialise in caring for babies and children up to 16 whose heart and lung problems may need medical treatment or surgery.
On Rose ward, there is a real focus on regular monitoring, medicines, and care, but the ward nurses are also there to work with you, as a parent, to help you give the proper care and support to your child. As your child improves, we will support you to take on the care and medication as they reach the stage of being discharged to either home or a hospital nearer to where you live.
Throughout their stay, your child’s consultant will lead their care alongside the medical team, including a senior nurse who leads a large team of trained nurses. Our other specialists include cardiac and respiratory specialist nurses, psychologists, physiotherapists, hospital play-specialists, cardiac liaison nurses, occupational therapists and family liaison managers, who assist and advise on your children’s management and care. Dietitians also visit the ward daily from Monday to Friday.
If your child needs more medical care, we can quickly recognise if they need to ‘step up’ to a high dependency or intensive care unit for safety. As your child improves and requires less frequent medical attention, we will assess if your child is well enough to move to either high dependency or Rose Ward. Not having a nurse at the bedside at all times will feel strange, but it means your child is getting better, and you can become more involved in their care. We call this move a ‘step-down’ of care.
Visiting times
You may stay with your child for as long as you want to, although we need to ask you to limit the number of other visitors. Only two people are allowed by the bedside at any time. Limiting the number of people around a bed means a nurse can easily attend to your child or others around them.
Parents have 24-hour access to the ward. Extended family, including children and supporting adults, can visit at specific times, so please check the hospital visiting webpage for the latest guidelines. Children can use the playroom, but we ask that an adult supervises them. Anyone with an infection, such as a cold, sore throat or tummy bug, should not visit the ward. Please check with a member of staff if you are unsure.
As children recovering from procedures require rest, we aim to switch off televisions/videos in the bays by 9 pm.
Hot drinks are allowed on the ward but must have a secure lid.
Staying overnight
We believe that children respond best if all their needs are met, so we welcome parents and families to stay with their child and join them on the ward when they can. In addition, we want to ensure that younger patients feel secure in their new surroundings, so we encourage parents to get involved in their child’s treatment at all stages where possible. For example, on Rose Ward, one parent can sleep on a fold-up bed next to their child if this does not affect access to the patient.
