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 will be measured
• Swabs of your child's skin may be taken, depending on what surgery they're having and whether they've been a patient in hospital in the last 12 months
• You'll find out about our policy for testing all woman and teenage girls over 12 years of age, to ensure they're not pregnant prior to their procedure. 

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.

Our state of the art facilities are designed to be child friendly. We have a children's waiting area, individual bedroom, playroom and a dedicated paediatric recovery bay.

For young people aged 16 or 17, there's two different options for you to receive your inpatient care, either on the children's ward or the adult's ward. These options will be discussed with you during your pre-assessment visit. 

Your child will have their own private, en-suite room. We’re happy to arrange for one of you to stay overnight in their room if you’d like.

The consultant surgeon and consultant anaesthetist for your child 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
• You’re welcome to stay with them until they’re asleep
• Our medical staff will sometimes invite you to come with them to collect your child from the recovery area and take them back to the ward

All of the staff who’ll be looking after your child in the operating theatre and recovery area have received additional training in caring for children.

On the ward, your child will be cared for by nurses specially trained in looking after children. You'll have an allocated children's nurse who will be present 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 where there's an overnight stay.

When your child is ready to leave, your 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.

Parents and carers can visit anytime during the day or night and we can even arrange for you to stay overnight if your child is staying in hospital. 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. Extended family members can visit between 8am 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.

Paediatric services: 0115 937 7769

Hospital number: 0115 937 7800

Email: nottinghamchildnurseteam@spirehealthcare.com