We work closely with other departments in the hospital particularly A&E, theatres, acute care unit and rehabilitation ward.

Services offered

• continuous monitoring of heart function
• special drugs to maintain blood pressure - support the heart and other organs
• non-invasive ventilation - where breathing is supported using a special oxygen mask attached to breathing machine
• invasive ventilation - where breathing is taken over (or supported by) a breathing machine via a special tube passed through the mouth or in some cases the neck (tracheostomy) into the lungs
• kidney dialysis - where a machine can take over the role of the kidneys to help excrete body waste products. This is usually where the kidneys have failed
• we can also do a number of tests at the bedside such as blood testing, x-ray, as well as using portable scanning machines (to assess the status of the internal organs).

We are a nine-bedded unit including a one-bed isolation room. We provide 24 hour medical cover through five consultants, with assistance from specialist registrars and over 40 nurses.

We work with other therapy services including physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, the acute pain service, dieticians, phlebotomy and radiography.

Visiting times

Visitors can come onto the unit between 12pm -3pm and 5pm - 8pm. At any other time entry is at the discretion of the nurse in charge.

The visiting times are to allow for the ward round between 9am - 12 pm, protecting all patients’ confidentiality. There is also a patient rest period between 3pm - 5pm. We believe that it is beneficial for the patient to have 2 hours of undisturbed rest from visitors and interventions from medical staff during the day.

We realise that having a relative in the Intensive Care Unit will be a trying and worrying time for you. Please be patient with us, as there are times, especially on admission, when you will have to wait outside the unit for what would seem a long time. This is where we will be providing essential care to your relative.

GP information and discharge

GPs are updated on their patients as a matter of routine on at least a weekly basis. This is to explain the reason for their admission to ITU and to report any progress during their stay on the unit.
 
On discharge from ITU we also send a discharge summary to the GP detailing the reason for admission to ITU, the treatment given and any outcome/results of this treatment.

All patients who have been on the unit for more than three days are offered an appointment at the follow-up clinic within three months of discharge from hospital.

How to contact us

tel: 020 8510 7356

Key staff

Dr Robert Ghosh
Consultant in intensive care with a special interest in providing clinical support in acute general medicine. He  has academic involvement in neurology and clinical neuro physiology within ICU and is the director responsible for clinical and operational issues in ICU 

Dr David Watson
Consultant and senior lecturer in intensive care medicine

Dr John Coakley
Consultant in ICU and medical director for Homerton. His special interests are in intensive care medicine, follow-up and bereavement support services and medical management

Dr Lawrence Tham
Consultant

Dr Cathy Peters
Consultant

Mike Potter
Lead nurse

Jo Pavitt
Unit administrator

Jude Turrell
Clinical educators

Tina Stubbs
Practice development lead nurse

Sharon Roberts
Clinical support sister

Shaun McAuliffe
Audit nurse

Useful links

www.survivingsepsis.org
www.dipex.org