Our team at Kent and Canterbury Intensive Care Unit care for elective and emergency surgical patients within the specialities of Vascular and Urology. We also provide critical care services to haematology, renal, neurology and neuro rehab patients awaiting transfer to specialists units.
Our department is separated into two units, the intensive care (ITU) which is situated opposite Kent ward and the high Dependency Unit (HDU), which is located within Kent ward. The ITU is a six bedded unit with 3 side rooms and 3 open bed spaces, while our HDU has 4 open bed spaces. Both units are staffed by the same nursing and medical teams. Because our bed occupancy fluctuates day to day we often place ITU & HDU patients within ITU.
Each shift has a nurse in charge, a nurse assigned for each ITU patient and a nurse for every 2 HDU patients. The medical team consists of four consultants with a team of registrars and 2 junior doctors. There is a dedicated ITU doctor on for the ITU/HDUat all times and each patient has a specific nurse caring for them. Our Staffing is detailed on our staffing status board situated on the right hand wall as you enter the unit.
If you have a relative admitted to the critical care department we recognise this can be a very stressful time for you. The staff are always available to offer explanation and answer any questions you may have. We also have available Relative Information Sheets about our unit and an Intensive Care guide produced by ICU Steps, a charity which supports Critical Care patients.
We pride ourselves on the care we provide and work well as a team alongside other specialities including physiotherapists, pharmacists, and dieticians to ensure our standards are maintained to a high level. Within our unit we have a culture of staff development and support and we hope this is reflected in your experience within Critical Care.
We have open visiting within ITU with a rest period between 1-4 pm, visiting on HDU is 2-8pm. We ask for no more than 2 relatives at the bedside and you may be asked to wait in our relatives’ room while interventions or care is carried out.
Telephone: 01227 783104
