Tony Palombo: Chairman
In November 2006 we received the phone call that every parent fears, our daughter had been involved in a car accident and was very seriously injured. We had to rush to St Richards Hospital in Chichester not knowing what condition she would be in when we got there. St Richards performed initial surgery and had sent brain scans to Southampton General for them to assess what damage the initial impact had on her brain. The PICU unit at Southampton sent out its retrieval ambulance and team, when they arrived they immediately went to work with the specialist equipment carried by the vehicle and stabilised our daughter; after about two hours they transferred her to PICU.
We were in a complete daze at the time, but on arrival at PICU at about 2.00 am in the morning we were comprehensively briefed by the staff as to what they had to do to ensure that they controlled any potential damage from secondary swelling of the brain.
We stayed in the parents' accommodation, which is opposite the ward, for two weeks whilst the team looked after our daughter. The care that she and our whole family received from all of the staff was unbelievable and will stay in our memories for ever.
While we were there we would go outside for some fresh air and often would see one of the nurses, who had just finished a twelve hour shift, selling items to raise funds for the unit. We could not believe the commitment that the whole team had, this was clearly not just a job for them but more of a passion for delivering the best care a parent could ever hope for.
Our daughter has now recovered and through our family and friends we have managed to raise funds as our way of supporting the unit and ensuring that children and parents continue to receive the kind of care we did. Believe me, when you are in a very dark place the kind of support provided by PICU is something that makes the experience bearable.
I attended the AGM in 2011 to catch up with the good work the charity has been involved with and it was announced that after 5 years of dedicated service the existing Chairmen was standing down. I felt that having been so grateful for all that we had received from the unit that I should stand for election and try to give something back. My efforts will in no way repay what we owe to the team that looked after us, but as the Charity is of vital importance to PICU I will at least be able to help in some small way.
Meryl Allderidge: Corporate Sponsorship Officer I'm Meryl Allderidge and a full time mum to Jacob and Hannah.
When you become a mum for the first time it can be quite over-whelming and a struggle - I certainly found it much harder work than I had envisaged. Thankfully I met a group of other local mums at "The First Time Mums" group and found myself with a wonderful support group of ladies I could mail, text or ring to ask whatever stupid, daft or trivial question I couldn't figure out for myself about bringing up a baby. 2 years on and now with 2nd babies arriving, life was pretty busy. Then one of these friends had a little boy, William, and I went to visit them in hospital with Chocolate muffins, cute baby clothes and cabbage leaves. I didn't hear from his mum for days afterwards - she didn't answer texts or emails..... Hearing the news that William was in PICU was horrible; we all had our new babies at home and they were in the hospital, with little that anyone could do to help.
Time passed and William recovered - he is now fit and healthy and causing as much mischief as a toddler should. However, the impact of his stay in PICU has stayed with us and has spurred our friends onto various fundraising activities for the Friends of PICU.
I now volunteer at various events and have taken up a Trustee post to ensure that the Friends of PICU can continue to help families and children such as William.
Rosie Mitchell: Events TrusteeI am a staff nurse on the PICU. We work 12 and half hours days. The day starts with a handover on all the children from the previous shift Sister. We are then allocated our patient/s for the day; this could be a cardiac child one day or a road traffic accident child the next, it could be a newborn baby or a 16 year old child. We then take a more detailed handover from the bedside nurse. Sometimes the family is present, so at this time we introduce ourselves to them and also to the child who may be awake, but if sedated and ventilated can still hear us. The first job of the day is to check all our equipment and drug infusions to ensure we have what we need for the day and we also ensure that the equipment is all in good working order. We then do an initial assessment on the child, checking all their observation and lines, listening to their breathing and heart.
The work during the day consists of documenting observations hourly (although the child is monitored constantly). During the day we may have to assist with the many tests the child needs. These include blood tests, x-rays, body scans and additional tests we help the other health professionals to do; some of these are carried out on the unit and some we have to take the child and all their equipment off the unit for. The children are all seen by a physiotherapist and when they are not there the nurse does the child’s physiotherapy.
The children have ‘cares’ performed every 4-6 hours, depending on their condition. During the care the child has their eyes cleaned, their mouths cleaned, nappies changed, a quick wash (with a longer one twice a day) and the child is turned position. Parents are encouraged to help at this time, although sometimes they are too scared. With support, even the smallest job helps them to feel useful. This is also a good time to check the child for any problems with their lines, skin or the many tubes they have in situ. The child is given physiotherapy at this time to remove any secretions that may have built up.
Supporting the family and encouraging the parents to help with the care of their child is important as sometimes this is the only thing they can do for the child during that long day. We encourage the parents of the sedated and ventilated children to hold the child’s hand, talk to them and maybe read to them.
Because it is such a stressful time for families, talking to parents and answering their many questions is vitally important the families. They need to be able to trust in us and feel free to ask any question, no matter how silly. Caring for the families of these sick children is as important as the daily care of the child.
Sometimes the worst happens and the child dies. This is a stressful time for everyone involved and, as nurses, they may only just have had to face the death or may have been awaiting it for a day or two. Each experience has its challenges. The families are actively involved in the care of their child and given as much time as they need with their child. Paramount is that this is what care they want for the child as these will be their last memories of the child. This could be photographs, a lock of hair, foot and hand prints and sometimes to paint their teenage daughters nails and wash her hair, as one family did whilst listening to her. We are there as nurses to support the families in their wishes, wherever possible.
In 2005, together with some families who had children in PICU, I set up the charity Friends of PICU. As a nurse on the unit I have seen the benefits that the equipment, ambulance and psychologist have brought to the unit. All around the unit are pieces of equipment with plaques, showing new families how the Friends of PICU has helped them all. Fundraising from kind families and friends has substantially helped so many families during their time on PICU.
Mark Hilder: Honorary Secretary
Elaine and I were blessed with two beautiful boys (Milo & Oscar) in February 2008. But sadly just 2 weeks before his first birthday, little Milo unexpectedly passed away.
Milo was born weighing 2lbs 13oz and with chronic renal failure. As a family we received a huge amount of support from local and regional hospitals. Milo was admitted to PICU on 5 occasions, often requiring life supporting help from a ventilator. On 2 of these occasions he was involved in retrieval by the PICU ambulance.
We experienced at first hand, on each visit to PICU, the full specialist medical services and the dedicated and very skilled staff during a very stressful and anxious time.
Not only did they care so well for Milo, but they also listened to us as a family and in particular were considerate and supportive towards Oscar who was still a baby, needing to be with his brother and mother.
After Milo’s death I was very keen to raise money to help PICU and support the INVALUABLE work they do.
Then the opportunity to be a part of the Friends of PICU charity was offered and I readily accepted. This is a very good way to give something back to PICU and to other parents who are or have been in the same position as ourselves.
The PICU is a valuable and much needed resource for South Central England and the Channel Islands, and fundraising to support the wards needs is vital to the continuing success of their service and ability to help as many patients as possible.
