Intensive care
Overview
The intensive care unit (ICU), also known as critical care or intensive treatment unit (ITU), is where we care for patients who are critically ill.
Our intensive care units have 24-hour cover by a specialist consultant in intensive care medicine. Each consultant is supported by a team of junior grade doctors, who are at different stages of their training. A senior nurse leads every shift on each unit, and several other members of staff are involved in the care of patients.
We have strict infection control measures in place, and all staff, patients and visitors are required to follow these.
Patient outcomes are reported to the national ICU audit of the Intensive Care National Audit & Research Centre (ICNARC).
Clinical governance is strictly adhered to, with excellent communication between ICU and the hospital clinical governance department.
The Royal Free Hospital ICU
The ICU at the Royal Free Hospital comprises of 46 intensive care beds. More than 1,500 patients are admitted to the Royal Free Hospital ICU each year. The Royal Free Hospital is a major referral centre for medical and surgical specialties. ICU is normally divided into two units, the intensive care unit (ICU) and the higher dependence unit (HDU). The ICU looks after patients who need the most constant care and the HDU cares for patients who require monitoring and support that cannot be provided on other hospital wards.
The ICU beds at the Royal Free Hospital are located on the third and fourth floors.
The enhanced post-operative integrated care (EPIC) and post-operative are (PACU) units are on the third floor.
There are three wards on the fourth floor ICU: South, East and West.
The critical care team provides services to support all our in-patient specialties, including hepatobiliary surgery, hepatology, complex vascular surgery, infectious diseases and haematology.
The Royal Free Hospital has an active organ transplant programme and we care for more than 100 liver transplant recipients each year.
Barnet Hospital ICU
The ICU at Barnet Hospital comprises of 23 beds in two adjacent units: ICU North and ICU South. There are five ICU beds in side rooms.
Our ICU at Barnet Hospital admits more than 1,000 patients per year.
Patients from different specialties, including general acute medical patients, emergency and elective surgery, and acute renal replacement therapies, all receive treatment in Barnet ICU.
Patients receive a weekly multi-disciplinary clinical review.
ICU videos
We have created a series of short videos to provide you with more information about our ICUs.
Introduction to our ICUs
This video provides information on: ICU staff members (00:29), why patients come to ICU (2:20), organ support (3:07), tubes and lines (4:14), medication (5:47)
Communication between patients and relatives/friends
Please be advised, specific information around changes we have had to make due to the pandemic is available in our COVID-19 and care of patients on the ICU video below
This video provides information on: Visiting ICU (00:00), video calls with relatives (00:53), motivational boards (1:03), communication with medical team (1:25), additional family support (2:10)
COVID-19 and care of patients on ICU
This video provides information on: Personal protective equipment (PPE) (00:19), why patients come to ICU (00:41), proning (00:55), visiting during Covid-19 (01:18)
Recovery
This video provides information on: Weaning from organ support (00:01), tracheostomy (00:35), emotional and psychological support (1:44), rehabilitation (2:30)
Research
This video provides information on: Research and recruitment into trials
Contact
Do you have an appointment?
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Barnet Hospital
Intensive care unit
Barnet Hospital
Wellhouse Lane
Barnet
EN5 3DJIntensive care unit/high dependency unit north
020 8216 5298 or 020 8216 5299Intensive care unit/high dependency unit south
020 8216 4120, 020 8216 4115, 020 8216 6030 or 020 8216 6027Family liaison telephone number
020 8216 4050 (available 8am-8pm, seven days a week for all enquiries)Email address:
barnet.icuaftercare@nhs.net (this inbox is monitored between 8am-8pm, seven days a week) -
Royal Free Hospital
Intensive care unit
Royal Free Hospital
Pond Street
London
NW3 2QGICU contact number
020 7794 0500 extension 24545 (available Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm)Email address:
rf-tr.icuinformation@nhs.net (this inbox is monitored 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday)
Referrals
Referral details
We welcome 24-hour consultant to consultant referral.
The Team
Consultant
Dr Jim Buckley
ICU consultant
Phone number: 020 7794 9484
PA/secretary email address: rf-tr.icuinformation@nhs.net
Dr Federica Franco
Intensive care and anaesthetics consultant
Email address: federica.franco@nhs.net
Dr Brian Hogan
Lead clinician for liver critical care and consultant in intensive care medicine
Phone number: 020 7794 0500 ext. 24523
Email address: brianhogan@nhs.net
Dr Chi Ng
Consultant in critical care and anaesthesia
Email address: ching@nhs.net
PA/secretary phone number: 020 8216 5296
PA/secretary email address: annagodfrey@nhs.net
Dr Nathalie Stevenson
Intensive care and anaesthetics consultant
Email address: nathalie.stevenson@nhs.net
Nursing team
Coral Cole
Advanced critical care nurse practitioner
Sinead Hanton
Matron ICU
Other key team members
Mrs Torraine Exall
Clinical lead physiotherapist (ICU) and service lead for therapies in critical care, medicine and surgery.
Email address: rf-tr.icuinformation@nhs.net
Aeron Ginnelly
Clinical lead speech and language therapist in critical care and neurosciences
Charlotte Greenfield
Highly specialised critical care physiotherapist
Dr Debbie Levitt
Psychology co-lead ICU
Phone number: 020 7794 0500 extension 37448
Email address: d.levitt@nhs.net
In this section
- The multi-disciplinary team (MDT) and what they do
- What you can do to support your loved one
- Therapies on ICU
- Research in our ICU
- External resources: ICU
- Life after ICU
- Emotional support for you and your loved ones
- Chaplaincy and the spiritual care team
- Bereavement and organ donation
- Frequently asked questions
- Your comments and concerns