Ambulatory Care Centre (Children)

Ambulatory Care Centre (Children)

Main Address

  • Children's Ambulatory Care Unit (CAU)
    Level 2
    Whittington Hospital
    Magdala Avenue
    London
  • N19 5NF
  • 0207 288 3561
Ambulatory care is same day emergency care.
 
Our Children's Ambulatory Care Unit (CAU) is a safe way of providing care which aims to avoid unnecessary admissions but allows children to be observed for longer periods of time than is possible in our children’s emergency department.
 
Together with our children’s community nursing teams, CAU allows us to provide ongoing treatment and review for children who have been recently discharged from hospital. 
 
This is a day treatment service, so children and their families/carers may be asked to come back the following day for further review.
 
The new centre offers greater capacity to treat more children and young people from Islington, Haringey and surrounding areas. Services include intravenous antibiotics, observation, assessments, and other investigations including Ultrasounds, X-RAYS and MRI scans.
 
Facilities
  • Children’s waiting area which has a selection of toys for younger children and a TV.
  • Free Wi-Fi available
  • Toilet including baby changing facilities.
  • We have a small supply of formula milk and nappies for infants available on request, although where possible, parents should bring these with them to the department.

 

Arrival to CAU
  • Children’s Ambulatory Unit is based on Level 2 of the hospital.
  • On arrival you will be seen by a member of the nursing team.
  • Children are either placed in a side room, an examination bed or in the children’s waiting area.
  • We will confirm the reason for your attendance, as well as your child’s personal details such as date of birth, home address and contact details.
  • After this, your child’s vital signs will be checked and recorded.
  • When it is time for your child to be seen, they are moved from the waiting room to a cubicle in the clinical area. The cubicles contain a trolley for the patient, seats for parents or guardians and a TV to help entertain and distract children.
  • When possible, the play specialist will help prepare children for any uncomfortable procedures. (blood tests or intravenous antibiotics)
  • The nursing team will then complete any necessary tests, such as blood tests, delivery of intravenous antibiotics and sample collection.
  • Some patients can then be discharged by the nursing team, but most patients will be reviewed by the appropriate medical team. There are various medical teams that review patient’s in CAU, including the Emergency Department (ED) team, acute paediatrics, general surgery and urology. 


Ifor Ward

  • If your child requires further treatment that cannot be managed in the CAU, we will transfer you and your child to Ifor ward.
  • Ifor ward is the general paediatric ward, which holds 17 beds based at the Whittington Hospital. Your child will always have their own consultant and a Nurse or healthcare assistant.

Support going home
  • The welfare and comfort of the child and their family is our priority.
  • We know that getting children home as soon as possible is key to this. The CAU team will help support children receiving care at home if possible, ensuring care is coordinated with our children’s community nursing services.
  • Some of the community nursing teams that CAU works with includes Haringey, Camden & South Barnet, Islington, Barnet and Enfield.

 

Community Children’s Nurses
  • If your child needs continuing care, for example ongoing intravenous antibiotics, we can arrange for community nurses to visit you in your home to provide the care your child needs.
  • Community Nursing teams are specialised in cancer care, allergies, eczema, asthma, wound management, intravenous medication, complex and continuing care, palliative and end of life care, and neonatal nursing care.
  • The ‘Hospital at Home’ service works in partnership with acute paediatric services at Whittington and University College Hospital (UCLH) to provide nursing care in the home for acutely unwell babies, children, and young people.
  • The ‘Hospital at Home’ team take referrals for all babies, children and young people in both Islington and Haringey, as long as they fit the necessary criteria.
8am-8pm (weekdays and weekends)
Last updated12 Dec 2024
Working on it!