Critical Care

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 life-threatening but treatable conditions. Most require constant attention from specialist nursing and therapy staff, while some of our patients need artificial organ support and advanced therapies.

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

The role of CCOrT is 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 is also a valuable resource for ward staff in responding to and supporting patients who are recovering from a period of critical illness – for example, after a stay in our Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

UHCW is committed to promoting patient safety, which is why our Critical Care Outreach team launched Call 4 Concern in October 2023.

This service empowers patients and families to call for immediate help and advice if they feel an acutely ill patient’s condition has changed – and if this has not been recognised by their healthcare team.

While we hope you’ll never need to use Call 4 Concern, we want you to know it’s there for you.

What to do if you’re worried

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

If you’re a patient at UHCW and worried about your own condition, of if you’ve visited someone you feel concerned about, the first thing you should do is talk to the nurses and doctors on the ward.

However, Call 4 Concern is here to help you if:

• You’ve noticed a change in the patient’s condition and feel this has not been recognised by their clinical team
• You feel there is confusion over what needs to be done for the patient and you want clear information about what’s happening
• You still have concerns after speaking to the patient’s ward nurse or doctor.

Call: 02476 964128

The Call 4 Concern team can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If your call isn’t answered immediately, please leave a message with details of the patient’s name, ward location and a brief description of the problem. The team will respond to you as soon as possible.

The Critical Care Outreach team will prioritise concerns based on their urgency and liaise with medical teams as needed.

When not to contact Call 4 Concern

Call 4 Concern is only for people who are worried about an in-patient whose condition seems to be deteriorating.

Please don’t contact Call 4 Concern if you have worries related to issues such as:

• Basic care
• Hospital food
• Car parking.

For support with addressing these types of concerns, please contact 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.