St John’s Hospital

The Children’s Ward is on the second floor at St John’s Hospital in Livingston. The ward cares for babies, children and young people admitted via the Emergency Department, after a GP referral or through the out-of-hours service. There is an area known as ‘PANDA’ for initial assessment and decision-making for each child, where an early-stage plan for treatment is made. St John’s Children’s Ward also admits planned and emergency surgical cases, along with some planned tests or investigations. Phone Number: 01506 524398 Nurse in Charge: SCN Lynn Haddow

What can you expect in the Children’s Ward?

The ward can be a very busy place, with babies, children and young people being admitted at night as well as during the day, usually because they have come to the Emergency Department but are not well enough to be discharged back home. There are 4-bed bays and some single cubicles, all with space for one parent or adult carer to stay overnight. Each child is given a named nurse in charge of their care who can explain what will happen during their stay. Nurses work in 12-hour shifts, with a handover taking place twice each day between the ‘day shift’ and ‘night shift’, usually around 7.15am and 7.15pm. It is normal to see a few different nurses, student nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors, consultants and other specialists during your time on the ward. Everyone will be working together to plan the best care for each child, depending on the treatment that they need. It is important for us to get to know your child and their needs. Each family will be given a ‘What Matters To Me’ sheet to fill in and some bed spaces have a large version on the board next to the bed. Person-centred care planning is really important to us and helps us to care for your child and their family in the best possible way.

Breakfast - 8am - A choice of cereals, toast, yoghurts and fruit Lunch - 12noon - Selection of hot meals and sandwiches Dinner - 5pm - Selection of hot meals and sandwiches Snacks and drinks are available for children outside these times – please just ask. Hot drinks or peanuts (or nut-based foods) are not allowed onto the ward for safety reasons.

Breastfeeding your baby

If a baby is still being breastfed, mothers are entitled to breakfast during their time on the ward. Fresh water or diluting juice is also readily available for breastfeeding mothers. Help is available with feeding or to express milk, with a fridge and freezer for storage.

Some types of scans and x-rays are carried out at St. John’s Hospital. This might be as part of a visit to the Emergency Department (e.g. for a suspected broken bone or injury) or a scheduled appointment, arranged in advance. Please check your appointment letter carefully to understand which hospital your scan or x-ray will take place at. There are specialist staff at St. John’s Hospital who are trained to look after children and have experience with babies, children and young people. They can help answer any questions about your scan or x-ray and do their best to keep you calm and relaxed. It might be necessary to have some tests, scans or x-rays during your time on the Children’s Ward to find out more about what is making you unwell. This might include a blood test, different types of scan or an x-ray, which is like a photo of your bones and the inside of your body. Some children might be given medicine or fluids through a tiny needle in their hand. There is a Play Leader based in the ward during normal working hours who can help children prepare for a procedure and help distract them with play activities. While the ward is a busy place and things can change quite quickly at times, we will always be happy to explain what is happening and answer any questions that you might have. Find out more about scans and x-rays

We aim to give the best possible care to all of our patients, at all stages of their illness or treatment, giving them the most appropriate levels of nursing or medical care. Sometimes, some children may need additional support and may be cared for within our Level 1 area on the Children’s Ward, others may require to be transferred for specialist treatment at RHCYP in Edinburgh. When a patient needs to be moved, the decision will be taken by the consultant responsible for their care. Wherever possible, parents or carers will be spoken to or contacted to let them know that a move is planned or needed. We understand that being in hospital can be a stressful time for patients and their families and we will only move a child when it is absolutely necessary and in discussion with families.

Cubicles and individual rooms

Cubicles and individual rooms are given to patients who need them the most. There are two priorities for cubicles or rooms:

1. A child with a condition that makes them vulnerable to infection.
2. A child who has - or may have - an infection that could pose a risk to other patients.

If your child has been allocated a cubicle or room for another reason, they might be moved into an open ward area if they are well enough. This means that we can care for other children who need to be in isolation. If your child has been treated for their infection, or their infection has been identified and they no longer need to stay in isolation, they might be moved into an open ward area. This allows us to care for new admissions that need isolation. Sometimes babies, children or young people need specialist care or help from a few different specialist teams. Patients might be transferred to the RHCYP in Edinburgh if they are very unwell, but this will always be discussed with parents and carers.

Infection control precautions mean that visiting is restricted to two visitors by a child’s bedside at any one time. Children under 5 may not visit the ward areas at times of high infection levels.

Sometimes visiting guidelines need to change at short notice – please speak to the Senior Charge Nurse, or nurse in charge of your child’s care if you have any questions about visiting.

Please support us with the security within the Children’s Ward by restricting access through the ward doors – hospital staff will be happy to let any visitors or family members in using the intercom and buzzer entry. Thank you.

We understand that having a child admitted to the hospital can be a worrying and stressful time, particularly if your child has become unwell and the cause is not yet known. Each child’s bed has a single bed with a mattress next to it, to allow you to get some rest and stay with your child. St John’s Hospital has a café, shop and restaurant as well as vending machines available 24 hours a day for drinks and snacks.

NHS Lothian Family Support

Find out more about family support

Young Patients Family Fund

Financial support is offered under a government scheme to recover costs for purchasing of refreshments, meals and travel costs. Find out more Young Patients Family Fund.

Wifi

Wifi is available for families to connect their mobile phones or tablets from home.

Play specialists and Playroom

The Children’s Ward has one Play Leader, available to help children understand and prepare for procedures, distract them with activities and have fun with a range of toys, games and crafts. If they are feeling well enough, children can visit the playroom where they will find toys, games, crafts and a range of activities for all ages. We also have a small soft play area within the ward.

When children and young people are well enough to go home after their stay in the Children’s Ward, families might be given a supply of medicine to take home with them or a prescription to take to their local pharmacy. Some prescriptions need to go via the pharmacy and can take several hours to be dispensed. Sometimes a follow-up appointment might be arranged for a check-up or review with the doctor. A letter will be sent to your family doctor to let them know about your child’s admission to the hospital and the reason for their stay. If you need a copy of the discharge letter (for example for a parent’s work or for insurance reasons) please ask the team on the ward before you leave.

All feedback is welcome. There are several ways for parents, families, carers and children themselves to do this.

Care Opinion

Care Opinion gives patients and families a way to share their experience of health and care services, including services for children and young people across NHS Lothian. Stories are passed directly to the teams involved and published on the Care Opinion website where they can be replied to by staff. Tell your story on Care Opinion.