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Having your child transferred to Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is a very stressful and uncertain time for you and your family. This booklet aims to answer some questions you may have until the team arrives.

Aim of the Retrieval Team
The PICU team comes from the unit in Leeds in an adapted ambulance with specialised equipment needed to continue care safely and effectively until your child is transferred back to the PICU. This includes breathing support, heart monitoring and drug administration.

The Team
The team consists of a doctor and a nurse competent in the transfer of a critically child.  Sometimes there is a consultant present and another nurse observing. There will also be an ambulance crew who support the team, to provide a smooth safe journey in the ambulance.

Arrival of the Team
The preparation for the transfer starts as soon as the call is received from the referring hospital. We aim to leave Leeds within 1 hour of accepting the referral. In this time equipment is gathered appropriate to the needs of your child and further treatment advice given to the referring hospital. When the team arrive they will assess your child and discuss with medical and nursing staff the treatment provided so far and the history with yourselves.

Goal
After the team has been updated with all the information, the team will continue any treatment needed to stabilise your child. They will then transfer your child onto the specialised equipment and transfer trolley. This may take sometime as the team may need to make some adjustments necessary to ensure the transfer is as safe as possible.

Looking After Yourself
The team are very aware of the need for your questions to be answered and will speak to you soon as possible. Most of the time parents/guardians do not travel in the ambulance, there are occasions where a parent may travel in the ambulance but this will be at the discretion of the team. If you have your own transport, the team will give you maps and directions to the Leeds hospital and advise you where to park. Please do not follow the ambulance and drive at a safe speed.If you do not have transport, the referring hospital will arrange transport for you. It is advised that while you are waiting for the team to arrive, a family member or friend goes home to collect personal belongings for yourself and your child. These could include clothes, wash bag and comfort items (e.g. dummy, teddy). If you wish to be resident in hospital a room will be found for you by the nursing staff, however there is limited hospital accommodation and the rooms are only for parents/guardians. All units operate open visiting for parents/guardians; the unit welcomes other relatives as long as you are happy for them to visit. At night time we like to restrict visiting to parents/guardians only to give the children rest. Due to safety reasons we only allow 2 people at the bedside at any one time. Please remove coats as you enter the unit and use the alcohol rub on your hands which is situated on the wall as you go through the door.Please wash your hands before and after touching your child.

Contact Numbers
Depending on the illness, your child may be transferred to one of three units. The team will notify you which unit this will be


Ward 2 Leeds General Infirmary                       (0113) 3927102

Ward 4 Leeds General Infirmary                       (0113) 3927104

PICU St James Hospitals                                    (0113) 2067269


Doctor’s Name:                                                             

Nurse’s Name: