Coming into hospital for children and young people

If your child needs an operation, you’ll be invited to bring them to a pre-admission visit. During the visit:

• You can meet some of the staff who’ll be looking after your child
• You’ll be shown around to help you all feel more familiar with the hospital
• Your child’s weight, height, temperature, pulse and blood pressure may be measured
• It’s hospital policy to perform a pregnancy test for teenage girls over the age of 12 years – we understand this can be a sensitive subject to talk about, but it’s for our patients’ safety

You’ll be given an information pack about your child’s treatment, hospital stay and aftercare to help you and your child prepare. If you have any questions or special requirements, our staff will be happy to help you.

For young people aged 16 or 17, you can choose to be looked after on our children’s ward or our adult ward.

If your child is required to stay overnight and is under the age of 16, an accompanying adult is also required to stay.

Your child's consultant surgeon and consultant anaesthetist will explain what’s going to happen during and after the procedure, and you’ll be asked to sign a form consenting to the operation. Young people aged 16 or 17 can consent to their own treatment.

If your child is having an operation involving general anaesthetic:

• You can accompany your child to the operating theatre
• We have a toy car they can drive to the operating theatre to help make the journey a little easier
• You’re welcome to stay with them until they’re asleep
• Our nursing team will invite you to come with them to collect your child from the recovery area and take them back to the ward

On the ward, your child will be cared for by nurses specially trained in looking after children – a registered sick children’s nurse. The children’s nurse allocated to your child will be present throughout their stay on the day of the procedure.

To help make your child’s stay as comfortable as possible, we provide:

• A range of age appropriate toys, books and videos – you can also bring your child’s favourite toys or comforters
• Free WiFi for patients and visitors ­– however, we take children’s internet safety seriously and encourage parents to refer to the guidance set out by the NSPCC on how to keep your child safe online
• A special children’s menu with freshly prepared meals, and we’ll always try to accommodate if they’d like something that’s not on the menu – we also offer a meal service for one parent

When your child is ready to leave, their nurse will explain any aspects of care you’ll need to help with while at home – such as dressing changes or helping with mobility. They’ll also explain how we can continue to support you and who to contact if you have any questions while at home.

We understand how important it is that your child feels safe and happy throughout their stay, so we encourage family members to be around as much as they feel is necessary - there is open visiting hours for parents/guardians. Extended family members can visit between 9am to 9pm.

Our nurses are very experienced in caring for children of all ages and we’ll work with you to ensure that your child has the best possible experience with us.

Emma Newall - Lead Nurse for Children and Young People

Children’s Ward: 0161 447 6914

Out of Hours (Main Reception): 0161 447 6677

Email: Emma.Newall@spirehealthcare.com