UHCW has two Critical Care units located at University Hospital; a General Critical Care Unit (GCCU) and a Cardiothoracic Critical Care Unit (CCCU).

 

Critical Care provides specialised, continuous, multidisciplinary care for patients with a life-threatening but treatable condition who require constant attention from specialist nursing and therapy staff at an appropriate ratio.

They need to be monitored continuously, with staff able to interpret and act immediately on their needs. Some patients will need artificial organ support and advanced therapies to help them.

General Critical Care is a busy and challenging department due to the complex and specialist needs of our patients.

The General Critical Care service has 30 bedded High Dependency and Intensive Care Units supporting polytrauma patients from around the Midlands region, patients requiring radiological interventions and patients with surgical, medical, orthopaedic and obstetric needs.

The services we provide include:

 

The Critical Care Outreach team (CCOrT) is a nurse-led service that supports ward nurses and doctors who are caring for acutely unwell inpatients.

CCOrT nurses are all highly experienced, senior nurses who have advanced skills in patient examination and diagnostics. They take patient referrals 365 days of the year.

The role of CCOrT is primarily to ensure critically ill patients, or those at risk of becoming so, receive appropriate and timely treatment in the most suitable location within the hospital. The team are also a valuable resource for ward staff in responding to and supporting patients who are stepping down from a period of critical illness, for example post an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) stay.

The purpose of the CCOrT team is to:

• Ensure timely referral and admission to ICU for those patients who require a higher level of monitoring or support than can be provided at general ward level.
• Follow up patients who have been transferred from the ICU to general ward areas. CCOrT follow up promotes a seamless transition between ICU and ward areas, whilst giving opportunity for CCOrT staff to assess patients progress both physically and psychologically.
• Share our knowledge and skills with ward staff, both at the bedside and through formal education programmes, within the Trust. We provide training to nurses, allied health professionals and junior doctors with the emphasis on the recognition and management of the acutely unwell patient.

Call 4 Concern©

Patient safety is a high priority for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust and in October 2023 our Critical Care Outreach Team launched Call 4 Concern©.

The service enables patients and families to call for immediate help and advice if they feel the healthcare team has not recognised their own, or their loved one’s, changing condition whilst they are an acutely ill adult inpatient.

We very much hope you will never need to use Call 4 Concern©, but it’s there if you do.

In the first instance, concerns should be raised with the ward staff. But contact Call 4 Concern© directly if:

• A noticeable change in the patient occurs, and you feel the healthcare team is not recognising your concern
• You feel there is confusion over what needs to be done for the patient and you need clear information about what is happening
• You have ongoing concerns after you have spoken to the ward nurse or doctor

Nobody knows your healthcare needs, or those of your loved one, better than you and your family.

The Call 4 Concern© team can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If they are unable to answer immediately, please leave a message and the team will respond as soon as possible.

Call: 02476 964128

Leave details of the patient’s name, ward location and a brief description of the problem.

The Outreach Team will prioritise the urgency of concerns and liaise with medical teams as needed.

Please do not use Call 4 Concern© for issues relating to basic care, food, or parking. In this instance, speak to the Ward Manager, Matron or the Patient Advice and Liaison service (PALS) on 0800 028 4203.

For other ways to provide feedback, click here.

Patients are admitted from other hospital departments based on their medical need.