Inpatients

Inpatient ward

Adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) who require inpatient care are almost always cared for on D10 isolation ward. D10 is situated in the Centre Block of Southampton General Hospital on D level (one floor above the main entrance and the CF outpatient area). You can see a floor plan below:

If you need to stay in hospital, you will be provided with a single room with en-suite facilities. You can find out more about our facilities below.

Occasionally, you may need to be cared for on another ward. Examples of this would be a single day admission for an intravenous infusion or a surgical procedure. No matter where you receive care in hospital, the adult CF team will continue to be closely involved in your day-to-day care.

The current ward leader of D10 ward is senior charge nurse Jorge Pinto da Silva. There are several other ward sisters and they can be identified by their dark blue uniforms. Designated uniform for all staff groups can be found here.

Facilities available during your stay

• Free WiFi internet access is available for all patients and visitors, although it is not always 100% reliable
• There are some televisions with aerials, but availability is somewhat limited - please ask!
• Exercise bikes and other exercise equipment
• There is an iPad available to allow video calls for virtual visiting (in COVID and non-COVID times). Please ask the ward staff if you are interested.
• There is a cash machine, outpatient pharmacy, various food outlets including Marks and Spencer food hall, Subway, Costa Coffee, WH Smiths, and a Stock Shop in the main entrance of the hospital.
• We are always looking for people to undertake fundraising activities to allow us to improve these services! Please talk to the CF team if you think you might be interested in helping.

Mobile phones

The use of mobile phones is allowed in patient rooms. However, they should not be used during treatment times and ward rounds. Reception can be variable.

Food and snacks

There are always extra snacks available from the ward nursing staff – just ask the ward team and they will get something as soon as they can. There is also a separate snacking menu (called the grazing menu) for additional food between mealtimes, and there is an option for a high calorie cooked breakfast.

There are a limited number of fridges available, mainly to store your medications. These can also be used to keep food that does not require re-heating, as there are no microwave facilities for patients on the ward. It may be possible to order in food for delivery from outside the hospital, but please discuss with ward staff first.

During your stay, our CF dietitians will be able to support you with dietary needs.

Visiting times

The visiting policy is frequently reviewed, particularly whilst hospital COVID restrictions remain in place. Please see this link for the latest guidance. Please talk to the senior ward team if you have questions or concerns.

Accommodation is available (off site but nearby) and there is a charge for this. For relatives of people under the age of 18, the Ronald McDonald House is available as well. The D10 ward sisters or nurse in charge will be able to provide more information on these options. Relatives only stay overnight on the ward in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the nurse in charge. A fold-out bed is available for this.

Infection control

Infection control is critical to everything we do. Staff on ward rounds will always wear gown and gloves in your room. In addition, they will use hand sanitiser to clean their hands before and after each consultation. Reducing air mixing from one room to another is also especially important, backed up by research in the Lancet. Because of this, doors must remain closed. If you have questions or concerns before admission, please ask a member of the CF team. When you are an inpatient, the ward nurses (who work closely with the CF team but are a separate team in their own right) oversee the practicalities of how the ward runs.

For infection control purposes, visitors are kindly asked to refrain from putting their feet on or sitting on patients' beds.

Whilst COVID remains common and potentially serious, policies relating to managing COVID risk in hospital evolve on a regular basis. Please be guided by staff members before and throughout your admission. These rules keep patients, staff, and vulnerable people safe, and we are grateful to you for adhering to these policies. Please ask a member of staff if you have any queries.

What to bring in with you from home:

• The usual everyday clothes/nightwear
• Toiletries
• iPad, own laptop, chargers (these items are brought in at your own risk)
• Your own entertainment if you would like!
• Your own spirometer
• All your usual medication including Kaftrio, Ivacftor, Symkevi, nebulised meds, oral medications and inhalers
• If appropriate bring your insulin, Insulin pens and pen needles
• Any airway clearance equipment e.g. Aerobika
• Blood sugar monitors and blood testing strips
• Air compressor and pots
• NIV (Non-Invasive Ventilation) machines
• Extension sets for gastrostomy button

What to expect during your admission

Most admissions are planned with the CF nurse specialists. Although they work closely together, our CF nurses are a separate team from the ward nursing team. If you have particular expectations about how long you will be in hospital then please discuss these with the CF team as soon as possible.

During your admission you will have a ward round every weekday. Usually this will include a consultant on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and a junior doctor on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On a consultant ward round, you might also be joined by a junior doctor, a specialist nurse, a dietitian, and doctor or nurse in training. If you would like to keep the number of people who are in your room during ward round to a minimum, please let the team know. You may have questions about your treatment that you wish to ask the team, and it can be a good idea to write these down in advance, so you remember all the things you want to discuss.

You can expect a session from a CF physiotherapist for airway clearance at least once a day during the working week. There will usually be an offer of a second session as well, which may be exercise rather than dedicated airway clearance.

Can I leave the ward?

If you wish to leave the ward, it is essential for safety reasons to ask the nurse in charge; informing them of where you are going and at what time you expect to return. It is important that you are present on the ward for ward rounds, medications, and treatments, and any tests which may be required such as x-rays. Current COVID guidance asks you wear a mask while outside your room. Link here to hospital policy.

Am I allowed to have contact with other CF patients?

You are strongly discouraged from having face to face contact with other people with CF in clinic, in hospital or socially. If you do, you are potentially putting yourself at risk of acquiring new infections as well as putting others at risk of acquiring your infection. This may cause your health to deteriorate.

Feedback and complaints

We always aim to provide the best possible care. Any feedback on the care we provide would be very welcome. We value the opportunity to know how we might be able to improve what we do for you. You can leave written comments on a feedback form available on the ward. Find out more about how to give us your feedback on our tell us about your experience page. If you wish to make a complaint, please first speak to the nurse in charge of the ward who will be able to provide you with more information, including a leaflet explaining the process of how to make a formal complaint, and contact details for the patient advice and liaison service (PALS) which you can see below.

In addition, our hospital has a zero-tolerance approach to abusive behaviour towards its staff.

We look forward to seeing you on the ward!

Contact us

The phone numbers for calling the ward are: 023 8120 8334 and 023 8120 3843.