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Why you have been asked to come to the Children’s Observation & Assessment Unit
Your child has been referred to the unit by a health care professional for a second
opinion and/or for a period of observation by a hospital doctor. This could be a
paediatric (children’s) doctor or a surgical doctor depending on the problem.
Admission
Following a decision to admit your child to the children’s ward for further treatment and investigations. The nurse coordinator will liaise with the ward coordinator to arrange transfer. Your child will be allocated a bed space or a cubicle depending on the needs of your child. You are welcome to stay with your child throughout their admission and 1 parent/carer can be resident overnight.
Discharge
Following a decision for your child to be discharged home, the doctor will provide you with a discharge summary of your child’s admission, this will be a summary of their presenting complaint, the examination, diagnosis and any medication required to take home. If your child requires follow-up this will be requested on your discharge letter. They will give a copy to yourself, and a copy will be sent to your child’s GP. If medication is required, the doctors and nurses will prepare this or arrange for you to collect at the hospital pharmacy. Once your child has been discharged, you may be offered open contact. This can be used if you are concerned about your child’s condition once you are at home.
The details and contact numbers will be given on discharge.
Please note the Children’s Observation & Assessment Unit and the Inpatient Ward
are learning environments for student nurses. Students are supervised. If, however,
you do not wish to have a student involved in your child’s care please inform the
nurse in charge.
Your feedback is important to us. We need to know whether there are any Improvements we can make to our service. Please ask a member of our team for a feedback form before you leave. Thank you
