Location
Forest PICU, 2nd floor, Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
Directions: from main reception, walk towards the back of the building, follow signage for the “Big Lift”. Turn left after the helter skelter, then left again before you reach the glass bridge corridor. Pass through the double doors and take the “Big Lift” up to the second floor.
Forest ward is one of our two intensive care units, the other being the Sky Critical Care Unit on level 6. Both units provide paediatric intensive care, you may hear them referred to as PICUs (Paediatric Intensive Care Units)
The unit provides intensive care for critically ill children from south-east England and beyond.
Information for visitors
Parents 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 or any other infectious disease you know about, 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. Once your child is discharged from PICU, you will be asked to give up your accommodation. In the ward, one parent can usually reman with their child overnight.
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 in the room and toys for visiting siblings.
Meal times
For children who can 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. They are 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 team who will introduce themselves and is available to provide support and advice.
Your clinician
The clinicians 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.
In PICU, we work as a team. There are many doctors and paediatric critical care advanced clinical practitioners providing bedside care. A PICU consultant oversees all medical care and plans and if you have concerns that you do not feel are being recognised or addressed, please ask to speak to the consultant on call or the nurse in charge.
What to do if you're worried that your child is getting worse in hospital
All the wards at Evelina London Children’s Hospital are working to deliver the safest care possible. Part of this is making sure we understand your concerns. The hospital has a Martha’s rule policy.
If you are worried that your child is getting worse:
- First, speak to the team caring for your child
- If, after speaking to the care team, you are still worried and feel your concerns are not being addressed, call 020 7188 6404 for a rapid review.