The Trust has both a Critical Care Unit and a High Dependency Unit
The Critical Care Unit at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a 13 bedded unit split across two ward areas: ICU and HDU, and is part of the Unscheduled Care directorate. Both ward areas are managed as one unit; we have over eighty Nursing staff and nine Consultants.
We admit over 1000 patients every year to the Critical Care Unit and face many challenges with the scope of reasons for their admission including: respiratory failure; pneumonia; exacerbations of asthma/COPD; cardiac arrests; cardiogenic shock; sepsis and septic shock; multi-organ failure; acute brain injury; epilepsy; trauma; coma; acute kidney injury as well as elective care postoperative cases. Our facilities have the capacity to care for seven Level 3 ICU patients, who require advanced respiratory support and/or support of two or more organ systems; and six Level 2 HDU patients who require close observation or intervention including support for a single failing organ system or post operative care; and those stepping down from a higher level of care.
The Critical Care Unit provides a dynamic multi-disciplinary approach to delivering patient care, working closely with visiting medical and surgical teams: Physiotherapists; Pharmacists; Dietetics and Speech and Language teams and our Rehabilitation Co-ordinator to ensure that all our patients receive the best possible care during their stay.
Continuity of support for patients discharged from the Critical Care Unit to ward areas, is provided by our Rehabilitation Co-coordinator and Critical Care Outreach Team.
Following hospital discharge at two to three months a Multi-Disciplinary Follow Up clinic is available for patients who have longer term critical illness issues. The team includes the Rehabilitation Co-coordinator Nicky Williams in conjunction with Consultant Intensivists and ITU Psychologist.
Find out more about the new Emergency Village and Critical Care development here.
