From 7pm on Friday 6 December, and on Saturday 7 December, you'll only be able to enter Evelina London Children's Hospital by going through the main entrance of St Thomas' Hospital. Find out more.

Forest ward (PICU)

Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

Location

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2nd floor, Evelina London Children’s Hospital. 

Directions: from main reception, walk towards the back of the building. Turn left after the helter skelter, then left again before you reach the glass corridor. Pass through the double doors and take the 'big' lift up to the second floor.

Forest ward is our intensive care unit and is also called the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, or PICU for short. 

It's a 20 bed unit and provides intensive care for critically ill children from south east England and beyond.

Information for visitors

Forest Ward artworkParents and carers can visit their child at any time.

Visiting hours for other visitors are 10am to 8pm.

No more than 2 visitors are allowed by the bedside at one time to reduce infection risk.

We allow a maximum of 4 named visitors including parents and carers.

Visiting children must be supervised by an adult.

Please switch your mobile phone to silent. If you need to use it, please go to the parents' room.

Filming is not allowed on the unit. Please ask permission before taking photos.  

Always wash your hands when you enter or leave the ward to reduce the risk of infection. Removing your coat and outdoor clothing when you first arrive also helps prevent the spread of infection.

If you have been in contact with someone who has chicken pox, speak to the nurse in charge before entering the ward. Some of the children are very sensitive to infections.

Please call the unit about visiting if you have symptoms of cold or flu, or have diarrhoea or vomiting.

Accommodation for parents and carers

We do our best to accommodate up to 2 parents or carers as comfortably as possible while your child is on Forest ward. However there are a limited number of rooms available which are allocated on a day by day basis and cannot be reserved in advance.

If we cannot accommodate you in one of these, there are other places near the hospital where you can stay. See our accommodation page for more information. 

Room for parents and carers

We have a room for parents and carers to relax in. 

You can make tea or coffee, and there's fridge in which you can store your own food. Please label it with your child's name and bed number.

There is also a television and toys for visiting siblings.

Meal times

For children who are able to eat, we provide cereal and toast for breakfast, and a hot meal or light snack for lunch and dinner.

If your child is unable to eat during their stay, they are reviewed by the dietician and are fed either by bottle or by a special feeding tube.

Meal vouchers are provided for breastfeeding mothers (or those expressing their milk) which you can use at any of the hospital's catering facilities.

Your nurse

At the start of each shift, your child will be allocated a nurse who will introduce themselves to you. This the best person to ask if you need help, but please don’t hesitate to ask another member of staff for assistance.

We also have a family liaison nurse who will introduce themselves and are available to provide support and advice.

Your doctor

The doctors involved in your child's care do 2 ward rounds a day, usually in the morning and afternoon. This is a good time to ask questions.

Contacts

Staff in charge

Matrons: Haa Wee Chew and Rebecca Beschizza

Phone: 020 7188 4599 and 020 7188 9417

Head of Service: Professor Shane Tibby

Phone: 020 7188 4575

General numbers

Phone: 020 7188 4500 and 020 7188 4501

Access guides

View access guide to Evelina London to help you get around the hospital.

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Donate now

Donations from people like you help us go above and beyond for our young patients.

You can donate to our fundraising charity online.

Or if you'd like to make a donation to your child's ward, please speak to the nurse in charge.