All families of children who are in intensive care require help and support to cope with the reality of their child's critical illness and to manage their other family responsibilities.

The development of Southampton as the lead centre for paediatric intensive care means that children requiring intensive care are travelling many miles to access the service, and the families of these children need extra help and support. Read our information for parents of children who have been retrieved from other hospitals.

Our facilities include:

accommodation for the next of kin near to the unit - the Ronald McDonald Family Room is found across the corridor, opposite PICU
a separate waiting area for families
refreshment facilities and a quiet lounge.

We aim to work in partnership with families, keeping you involved and part of the decision making process.

Being a parent in PICU

Remember that for your child you are the most important person of the team. No one else could offer your child the comfort of his or her own family. Even if your child is asleep, or unable to move because of the tubes and machines, there are still ways to fulfil your role as a parent.

Your child will gain much comfort from the touch of your hand, the sound of your voice and the familiar ways that you help him/her through fear and pain. Children who are asleep feel the comfort of a loving presence.

With newborns, being in PICU interferes with those precious early days when you get to know your child. It is important to find ways to introduce yourself to your baby. Did you know that babies learn to recognise voices first? Your voice will be the one constant for your baby.

Taking care of yourself

You may be here for a very short time or for a very long time. In the event that this is a long time, try to pace yourself. It is important for your child's wellbeing that you take care of yourself. Here are some things that you can do:

take walks occasionally
eat nourishing meals
try to get at least a few hours rest each day
take a break with a friend who is a good listener
remember people outside the hospital are anxious to help
if you are breast-feeding or plan to breast feed your baby, information is available for you from your child's nurse. It is also possible to arrange for you to be seen by the infant feeding specialist.

Visiting

You can be with your child as often as possible. We do not regard parents as
visitors in PICU.

Because PICU is an open and busy area, these are the guidelines for people
coming in to PICU:

A situation may arise in the PICU where you are not able to enter immediately. Please call from the intercom from outside the door before you come in.
Let staff know if this is your first time in the PICU. Someone will come out and help you get acquainted with the new surroundings.
Children may find PICU a daunting place. We can arrange for our play specialist to spend time with visiting children, working through any issues that may concern them regarding their PICU visit. It is your responsibility to supervise your children while they are visiting.
We recommend that only two or three people visit at one time. However, there are times that we can make exceptions. Please speak to the nurse looking after your child.
Infections spread quickly and are more dangerous to children who are very sick. For the protection of all the children in PICU, anyone who is sick or has been in contact with an infectious person should stay away.
Hand washing is very important in the hospital - please talk to staff about this.

Routines in PICU

An average day in PICU follows an established routine.

8am Nurses from the night shift report to the day nurses.

8.15 to 8.45am Nurses do a safety check on all the equipment and examine your child carefully.

8.30 to 9.30am The doctors, nurse in charge of the shift and other members of the team get together and discuss your child's progress and ongoing treatment. This meeting takes place out of the unit. A doctor is allocated to look after your child for the day.

9.30am onwards Treatments and tests are carried out. This is an opportunity to discuss any care your child is receiving. The nurse can then share this information with other members of the team.

12noon Microbiologists visit the unit and discuss with your child's doctor necessary treatments to treat infection.

2 to 3pm If possible we try to have a quiet time. This is when the lights go down, noise is reduced to a minimum and procedures avoided where possible.

4.30 to 5.15pm This is a time when PICU doctors see each child to evaluate daily progress and to plan care for the night with other team members. It occurs at the bedside and you are encouraged to stay with your child.

8pm Nurses from the day shift report update those on nights.

10pm onwards As much rest as possible is given to all the children. However intensive care does continue throughout the night.

Bereavement care

Staff make contact with the families of any children who, sadly, die after or while they are in the paediatric intensive care unit.

You will be offered support and information and opportunities to discuss the child's care and why they died.

This service is supported by a clinical psychologist, Rachel Langley.

For more information, or to get in touch with the clinical psychologist, please contact staff nurse Claire Marsden claire.marsden@uhs.nhs.uk or sister Rachel Birch rachel.birch@uhs.nhs.uk

You may find the following websites useful:

The Compassionate Friends - supporting bereaved parents and their families
Simon Says child bereavement support
Winston's Wish - support for grieving children
Freephone service for those affected by the death of a child

Information for patients and families