Information for young people and teenagers

You might need to come for an appointment at our Children’s Outpatient Departments at Royal Blackburn or Burnley General Hospital either because you have already been in hospital and we need to make sure you are recovering well, or your GP might have asked for you to be seen by a specialist team at the hospital.

You will need to report into reception when you arrive at hospital.  Our Outpatient Departments can be busy and sometimes quite noisy.  You might want to bring a book along, listen to some music or read a magazine.  

After your name is called out, you will see the doctor or nurse.  They will ask you some questions about how you are feeling and any signs or symptoms that you might have.  If you want to talk to them without your adult being with you, then let them know. 

The doctor or nurse will make a plan about what should happen next. They might want to see you again or for someone else to see you on a different day, or they might discharge you.  Sometimes you might need to have a blood test or be admitted to hospital to become an inpatient.  This doesn’t happen very often though, so try not to worry.

If you have any worries or concerns about anything, however big or small, please speak to a member of the team.

Sometimes if you're feeling unwell you need to be seen quickly. Your GP might have asked you to come to the hospital, or you might have been brought into the Emergency Department (A&E). If this happens, you might need to be seen by the children’s doctors and nurses in the Children’s Observation Assessment Unit. This is a special area that assesses children and teenagers and tries to work out if you need any treatment.

When you come into the unit, you will be seen first by a children’s nurse who will check your observations. This may include taking your temperature, checking your heart rate and your blood pressure. Blood pressure is taken using a cuff a bit like an arm band which is placed on the top of your arm- it squeezes a bit and then slowly goes down. We might also check your blood oxygen levels by putting a small probe onto your finger which is a bit like a peg. It doesn’t hurt but just feels a bit funny. Try and relax and all these observations will be taken quickly. The nurse will then decide how quickly you need to be seen by the doctor.

The sickest children and teenagers are seen first. Whilst you are waiting to see the doctor, sometimes you might need some medicine to help you, or the nurse might need to so some investigations such as collect a urine sample. Don’t worry- the nurse or health care assistant will show you what to do and you can always ask for help if you need it. 

When the doctor sees you, they might listen to your chest with their stethoscope, feel your stomach, use a light to look at your throat, or look in your eyes and ears. Don’t worry, they don’t hurt, but they may feel a bit uncomfortable. The doctor might decide that you need to be seen by another doctor, or that you can go home, or that you need to be admitted to the ward to stay overnight.

If you can go home, you might need to take some medicine home to continue there. Try and follow any instructions you are given and listen to your adult when they are carrying out the hospital instructions at home.  

If you need to stay in hospital overnight, we will do everything we can to make your stay as comfortable as possible.

We have an adolescent area which is just for young people and our play specialists/assistants will provide you with activities to keep you occupied. Your parent or carer can stay with you should you wish them to. 

We try and keep older children together if you are nursed in the bay, as we understand that you have different needs to our younger patients. Although when the ward is very busy this might not always be possible.

By your bed, you will have a cupboard to keep your things in. The bed will have curtains that you can pull round if you want to have some privacy.

If you are going to stay in hospital overnight, there are some things you will need to bring with you:

• clean clothes
• pyjamas or nightie
• slippers
• toothbrush and toothpaste
• shampoo and soap
• hairbrush or comb
• anything else you might want to keep you busy
• medications (things prescribed to you by a doctor)
• a book you are reading
• tablet or laptop if you have one (you will need to take responsibility for these items) We have Wi-Fi 
• school work

Respecting your privacy and dignity is important to us. Before any treatment is carried out, the doctor or nurse has to ask permission to go ahead. Teenagers who are 16 and 17 years of age are entitled to consent to their own treatment and this consent cannot be overruled by their parents.

Children who are under 16 years of age can also consent to their own treatment if it thought that they can fully understand and appreciate what is involved in their treatment. Otherwise someone with parental responsibility can consent for them.

As a patient you can expect to:

• Be treated with respect and dignity at all times
• Receive a clear explanation of your condition and the treatment options available, including the benefits and risks involved
• Give your consent before any operation or procedure
• Have your parents or carers informed about your progress if you request this

As a patient we ask you to:

• Listen carefully to information about your treatment and medication, and ask our staff for more explanation if you do not understand anything or something is worrying you
• Treat our staff, fellow patients and visitors politely and with respect
• Let us know if you are unhappy with your care
• Tell staff if you are going out of the ward or unit