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Introduction
The Pamington Suite is primarily a Pre-assessment unit.
Patients are seen here prior to being admitted to the hospital for routine operations. The purpose of this is to ensure that you are fit and well and to undergo any tests that you may need in preperation for your forthcoming operation.
In addition to this you may be admitted to Pamington Suite on the morning of your procedure.
Pamington Suite is located on the ground floor of the Centre Block at the rear of the hospital.
What to Expect When you are Admitted to our Ward
You will be seen by one of the doctors or nurse practitioners in your consultant's team who will examine you and you will be asked about your medical history.
The nurses will take your blood pressure, measure your height, weigh you and check your home and personal details to make sure they are correct. You will be given the information you need about your operation, what to expect when you come back from theatre and what will be likely to happen in the first few days following your surgery.
There will be an opportunity during your appointment to ask any questions you may have about your admission to hospital.
All patients at pre-assessment need to have a blood sample taken. Some may require an ECG and / or an x-ray. Staff will make arrangements for the tests to be carried out either within the Pamington Suite or in the appropriate area.
Patients for thyroid operations will need to have a check on their vocal cords in addition to the above and this will be arranged for you.
We try to keep delays to a minmum. However, you should be prepared to be in the clinic for 1 - 3 hours.
If you have been told to attend Pamington Suite on the day of your procedure then you will sent to theatre from here. However you will be returned to the relevant ward once you have been allowed to leave the theatres recovery area.
Please be aware that the Trust is now a smoke free NHS. Smoking is not permitted in any building or within the grounds of any of our sites. Information and support is available to any patients who wish to stop smoking. Nicotine Replacement Therapy is available to help reduce your cravings during your stay.
Our Staff
A variety of people will be responsible for your care whilst in hospital. Some of the staff you may come in contact with while on Pamington Suite are: -
General Surgeons
For more information on the Consultants please click on their name.
Sister: - Navy blue dress / tunic / trousers.
Staff Nurse: - Blue and white striped dress / tunic with red piping and navy trousers.
Male Staff Nurse: - White tunic with striped epaulets and navy trousers.
Nursing Auxiliaries: - Green striped dress / tunic and navy trousers.
Bank Staff: - White dress / tunic and navy trousers.
Housekeepeing staff: - Pink and white stripped dress / tunic and trousers.
Domestics staff: - Pale green and white striped dress / tunic and trousers.
Yellow dress with blue tabard.
Other staff involved in your care may include: doctors, cardiac technicians, cardiac rehab nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, ward clerks, pharmacists and student nurses.
How to Contact the Ward
Telephone numbers: - 08454 22 2559
Or Telephone Switchboard on 08454 22 2222 and ask for the Ward.
Cleanliness and Infections in Hospital
If you have been in contact with chickenpox, measles or mumps within 3 weeks of your admittance to hospital, please inform a member of staff.
We ask that visitors suffering from minor infections such as a cold avoid visiting if possible, for their sake as well as the patients. We do not recommend babies being brought in to visit, again for their own protection.
Hand washing. The most common means by which infection is transmitted is by hand, therefore handwashing is a very basic, yet vital infection control measure. Alcohol hand gel is kept at the entrance of the ward and at each bedside for all the visitors to use before and after visiting. For hygienic hand disinfection apply 3ml (3 shots) to physically clean hands for 30 seconds ensuring all areas are covered, until dry.
What is clostridium difficile? Also called c diff
It is a bacteria that normally lives in the intestine. Up to 5% of the population are thought to carry this without any problems. It is usually kept in check by other bacteria in the intestines, which are normally present in our gut.
What problems does clostridium difficile cause?
Some strains of c.diff produce toxins, these toxins (poisons) cause diarrhoea. It can only do this when the balance of the normal gut bacteria has been disturbed. This can happen when antibiotics are given for infections. This enables the c-diff bacteria to multiply and produce more toxins that damage the cells in the intestines causing diarrhoea.
How is it Diagnosed?
A sample of diarrhoea is sent to the microbiology lab within the hospital. The laboratory looks for c-diff the toxins produced by some strains of the bacteria
How can it be treated?
If it is possible the antibiotics that have contributed to the disease will be stopped. Sometimes other antibiotics will be given, which are effective against the c-diff bacteria
What should happen if someone has diarrheoa?
Whenever possible you will be moved into a side room, before the microbiology result of the diarrhoea specimen is known This is to help prevent the spread of this bacteria. Not all patients can be placed in side rooms. it will depend on the condition of the patient and the availability.
Personal hygiene must be very strict. Everyone must wash their hands with soap and water after going to the toilet and before eating.
What is MRSA?
The organism Staphylococcus aureus is found on many individuals skin and seems to cause no major problems. However if it gets inside the body, for instance under the skin or into the lungs, it can cause important infections such as boils or pneumonia. Individuals who carry this organism are usually totally healthy, have no problems whatever and are considered simply to be carriers of the organism.
The term MRSA or methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is used to describe those examples of this organism that are resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Methicillin was an antibiotic used many years ago to treat patients with Staphylococcus aureus infections. It is now no longer used except as a means of identifying this particular type of antibiotic resistance.
Individuals can become carriers of MRSA in the same way that they can become a carrier of ordinary Staphylococcus aureus which is by physical contact with the organism. If the organism is on the skin then it can be passed around by physical contact. If the organism is in the nose or is associated with the lungs rather than the skin then it may be passed around by droplet spread from the mouth and nose. We can find out if and where Staphylococcus aureus is located on a patient by taking various samples, sending them to the laboratory and growing the organism. Tests done on any Staphylococcus aureus grown from such specimens can then decide how sensitive the organism is to antibiotics and if it is a methicillin resistant (MRSA) organism. These tests usually take 2-3 days.
Why bother with MRSA?
MRSA organisms are often associated with patients in hospitals but can also be found on patients not in a hospital. Usually it is not necessary to do anything about MRSA organisms. However if MRSA organisms are passed on to someone who is already ill, then a more serious infection may occur in that individual. When patients with MRSA are discovered in a hospital, the hospital will try to prevent it from passing around to other patients. This is known as infection control.
How do we prevent the spread of MRSA?
Measures to prevent the spread of organisms from one person to another are called isolation or infection control. The type of infection control or isolation required for any patient depends on the organism, where the organism is found on an individual and the patient.
The most important type of isolation required for MRSA is what is called Contact Isolation. This type of isolation requires everyone in contact with the patient to be very careful about hand washing after touching either the patient or anything in contact with the patient. If the organism is in the nose or lungs it may also be necessary to have the patient in a room to prevent spread to others by droplet spread. Because dust and surfaces can become contaminated with the organism, cleaning of surfaces are also important.
What do visitors need to do?
Provided relatives and friends of patients with MRSA are healthy there is no restriction on visiting and it carries no risk. Visitors are not required to wear special clothing BUT we would ask you to help us prevent this organism spreading around our hospital by keeping the patients' door closed at all times and always washing your hands whenever you leave the room.
What about MRSA at home?
In patients who are otherwise well the organisms often disappear once the patient leaves the hospital. Sometimes they do not however, and this may mean that when a patient has to go back into hospital the isolation precautions need to be used again. Provided everyone at home is healthy special precautions are not required at home.
What can be done about MRSA?
In certain situations it may be a good idea to try to get rid of the organism from a patient and this can be done with various creams and shampoos or on occasions combinations of antibiotics taken by mouth or by injection depending on the health of the patient.
