Someone I know has been admitted

We know that finding out someone you know has been admitted to intensive care can be worrying. This page gives you an overview of what to do and what to expect.

How can I find out where they are?

The main hospital switchboard is 02920 747747. They are able to search for the location of people in hospital. If you know they are in the Adult Intensive Care Unit, have a look at our contact page here. There is also a Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, a Coronary Care Unit and a Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.

Why are they on the intensive care unit?

Most patients come to intensive care when one or more of their organs are struggling. There can be a range of reasons why from infections, bleeds to needing an emergency operation.

Who can I speak to about their condition?

You are welcome to call the bedside nurse for daily updates on the numbers here.

Our specialist intensive care team members aim to give a more detailed update by phone every 48 – 72 hours or if major changes occur.  This will be a medical overview of your loved-one and a plan for their treatment and care whilst they are with us.

Can I visit them?

We know how important it is to see and be with your loved one. Our visiting hours are 1300 to 1830 and 1930 to 2030. We ask for two visitors per patient.

What support is there for me?

There are some fantastic information leaflets to help you here. We understand that this can be an extremely challenging time even without the added pressure of isolation and being away from your loved-one. To help we offer phone consultations with our Clinical Psychology team to further support you and your family if requested. Ask the bedside nurse for more information.

What types of treatment will they be receiving?

There will be a bedside nurse close to your relative every hour of every day. They will help care and deliver treatments to your loved one to give them the best chance of getting better. We work as part of a large team from doctors to physiotherapists, dietitians to pharmacists. You can meet the team here and find out more about some of the treatments that are sometimes needed here.

Will they be OK?

We wish we could say everything is going to be OK. Sadly, not every patient that comes to intensive care has a problem that can be fixed. No matter what, we will give them the very best care and support you through it. If your loved one has sadly died, we have some leaflets that may help here.

How can I feed back on my experience as a family member?

If your family member was recently admitted into an Intensive Care Unit, we understand that this was probably a very difficult time for you and your family. Based on your recent experience, you likely have a unique set of opinions and views on the service the ICU provided. The Family Satisfaction in the Intensive Care Unit questionnaire (FS-ICU) is the most widely validated tool to measure family members’ experience in the ICU. Your feedback on your satisfaction with care and decision-making is highly valued, and the FS-ICU gives you the opportunity to express what our ICU did well, and what we can do to make our service better. It will also be used to improve care as part of service evaluations and publications. If you need assistance completing the feedback please let us know.

You can feed back to us here https://forms.office.com/r/MBGJC5Wu4c