Patients to benefit from new integrated critical care service at North Manchester General Hospital

Helen Barrow, critical care matron, and staff nurse Muhammad Khan at North Manchester General Hospital

Patients are to benefit from a new enhanced integrated critical care service and equipment at North Manchester General Hospital following hundreds of thousands of pounds of investment.

The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has spent £465,000 on improving and developing the service after the amalgamation of the high dependency unit with the intensive care unit on ward G1 at the hospital. This has resulted in a single unit which meets the national standard for critical care services.

The new 12-bedded unit has been created using the existing accommodation on ward G1 which has been expanded by demolishing existing office and storage space to build a new clinical area with four new bed spaces.

New equipment has been purchased, making each bed area flexible for the use of ventilation, dialysis and monitoring.

A separate equipment replacement programme in critical care across the Trust has also led to the purchase of new ventilators and monitors in all critical care areas.

Helen Barrow, matron for critical care at North Manchester General Hospital, said: “We previously had two geographically separate critical care units on the North Manchester General Hospital site. One treated level two (high dependency) patients whilst the other treated level three (intensive care) patients. Now that the two units have been amalgamated, patients will benefit from a spacious integrated critical care service located in purpose built accommodation.

“Patients will notice an enhanced ward environment with natural light, upgraded shower and toilet facilities and improved access for relatives. There is also greater flexibility for the treatment of patients as any patient in any of the beds on the unit can now receive any level of critical care, be that high dependency or intensive care without having to move between what were two separate units. This provides greater flexibility and improved patient experience through continuity of care and location”.

Dr Mark Longshaw, consultant physician at the Trust, said: “The building of a new critical care ward has been a major development for North Manchester General Hospital and for the Trust. The new ward allows us to treat patients more safely and effectively and staff have an improved working environment, which allows them to carry out their jobs more safely. They have the confidence that the Trust has made a significant investment in the work that they do, resulting in a stable working environment to retain and recruit staff.”