Sky ward

Find out about the Sky paediatric critical care unit and Sky cardiology

Sky has two sections

Sky paediatric critical care unit

Sky paediatric critical care unit is a 10 bed unit and provides intensive care for critically ill children from south east England and beyond.

Sky cardiology unit

Sky cardiology is a unit with 18 beds providing care for patients undergoing cardiac management which includes surgery and interventions.

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 sixth floor.

Information for visitors - Sky cardiology

Parents/primary carers can visit their child at any time
No more than one visitor per bed at once
Please switch your mobile phone to silent – If you need to use it, please do so in the parents’ room
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 measles, speak to the nurse in charge before entering the ward. Some of the children are very sensitive to infections.
Please speak to your nurse about visiting if you have symptoms of cold or flu, or have diarrhoea or vomiting before entering the hospital.

Information for visitors - Sky PCCU

Parents/Carers can visit their child at any time
Visiting hours for other visitors are 10am-8pm
No more than two visitors at the bedside at once to reduce infection risk.
Maximum of four named visitors including parents/carers.
Visiting children must be supervised by an adult
Please switch your mobile phone to silent – If you need to use it, please do so in the parents’ room, filming is not permitted 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 before coming in.

Parents’ accommodation

Sky paediatric critical care unit

We do our best to accommodate up to two parents/carers as comfortably as possible whilst your child is on Sky Ward. However there are a limited number of parent's 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 the accommodation page for more information.

Sky cardiology

There is a pull down bed at each bedspace for one parent to stay overnight.

Parents’ room

We have a parent's room in which you can relax. This room is shared between Sky paediatric critical care unit and Sky cardiology so used by families from both areas. It has tea and coffee making facilities and fridge in which you can store your own food. Please label any food with your child’s name and bed number. There is also a television and parents information screen. This room is for parents only so we ask that no patients are taken in there.

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 a milk feed either by bottle or by a special feeding tube.

Sky paediatric critical care unit parents and carers

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

Sky cardiology parents and carers

All breastfeeding mothers will be provided breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Your nurse

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