Who's Who: The ITU Team
Members of staff you might meet in ITU include:
Doctors
The care of your friend or relative will be directed by one of the Consultants.
The team also includes a Registrar, Senior House Officers and House Officers/FY1s. You may also meet doctors and specialist nurses from other specialities involved in the care of the patient
Nursing Staff
In overall charge of the nursing staff is the ITU Matron.
Every day, one of a team of specialist ITU Nurses led by the Charge Nurse/Ward Sister will take care of the day to day nursing requirements.
ITU is a busy department and relies on the input of several different specialist teams to look after each patient. Other staff members who may be involved in the care of you relative might be
· Physiotherapists: Help improve breathing and muscle strength.
· Speech and Language Therapists: Can help if a patient has difficulties swallowing or speaking.
· Pharmacists: Ensure that medications are appropriate for each patient
· Dietitians: Ensure that each patient gets the right nutrition and can suggest special feeds or supplements.
· Radiographers: Takes X-rays for patients, usually using a portable X ray machine on ITU.
Day to Day Activity
Every patient is cared for by a staff nurse. You will become familiar with the nurses that work in the unit as they care for your relative. In the High Dependency Unit, one nurse cares for two patients.
0800 Doctors and nurses handover each patient and their treatments to the day team
0830 Consultant-led ward round to plan the course of treatment and patients are frequently reviewed during the day.
0900 - 1400 Treatments and investigations such as blood tests and XRays are carried out.
Specialist teams such as physiotherapists, pharmacists and dietitians, and other doctors visit during this time.
1400 Visiting hours start
1700 Consultant review of patients and handover
2000 Handover to the night team, End of Visiting Hours
