What happens when I come in?

If you are having heart at the hospital, you will be told about cardiac intensive care before you arrive and a space will have been booked for you after your operation.

Arrival
For patients coming directly in from theatre, it takes the nursing staff around 30 minutes to an hour to make you safe and comfortable on the unit.

Relatives coming to visit at this time may be asked to stay in the waiting room while the nurses are settling you in – but family will be able to come in afterwards and stay as long as they like.

Visiting
There are no set visiting times at Cardiac ICU – you can arrive when you like and stay as long as you wish. If the nurses need to care for the patient, or carry out some kind of procedure, they may ask you to go to the waiting room for a short while.

The nursing staff will explain to relatives what happens on the ward. They will tell you what all the equipment does, and will talk you through the patient's treatment plan.

Ward rounds
Consultant-led unit rounds take place around 12.30pm. A consultant, a registrar, fellow and senior nurse will visit every patient in Cardiac ICU. Consultants normally do not mind relatives being at the bedside and will be happy to answer questions.

For long-term patients, consultants will speak to relatives at least once a week to update them on progress and the treatment plan. However, if you wish to speak to a consultant at any time, you should ask a member of staff.

Relatives
Relatives can also phone Cardiac ICU at any time of day or night to find out about a patient. We just ask that you avoid calling during the shift changes – so please do not phone between 7.30am and 8.30am, and 7.30pm and 8.30pm.

If the patient has a very large family who wish to visit, the nursing staff may have to restrict visitors to two at a time, to reduce the stress for the patient. They may also do this with telephone calls – so they will pass information to one or two family members who will then need to tell their relatives.

The unit provides an overnight relatives room for those who may feel the need to stay close to their loved ones. More long term accommodation is offered through Heartbeat House, an on-site facility.

Leaving
When the patient is well enough to leave the unit, they will be taken to a hospital ward or a high dependency unit. This could happen at any time during the day or night.

A nurse (and any necessary equipment) will go with the patient and will formally hand over care to a new member of staff. Relatives will be told if a patient is being moved.