Paediatric Intensive Care Unit
Our children's intensive care unit (known as PICU) cares for critically ill children, and provides support to their families. The unit has 20 beds and is based on Forest Ward.
We're the lead centre for caring for critically ill children for the south Thames region and provide a wide range of services and clinical expertise.
We're also a busy heart (cardiac) unit, providing all types of heart surgery (except heart and lung transplants).
Transporting critically ill children
We help co-ordinate the South Thames Retrieval Service- this specialist ambulance service transports critically ill children from across the south east to intensive care units in London.
The leaflet Transferring your child to a paediatric intensive care unit (PDF 1.15Mb) provides more information.
Help us with research
The PICU team participates in research which aims to improve patient care. We are currently participating in an international study of cooling following cardiac arrest as well as studying a blood clotting drug following children’s heart surgery.
We may invite you to take part in a relevant research study. We will give you information to help you decide whether you would like to take part. If you decide not to participate, it will not affect your child's treatment in any way.
Data collection
It is a national requirement that data on every intensive care admission is shared nationally for audit (PICANet). This information is stored confidentially and children cannot be identified by any of the reports that are produced. If you wish to know more about this data and how it is used then please contact one of the intensive care consultants or research nurses.
