Meet Oona – one of the first patients on our new ward 7!

Six week old Oona might not be aware of it, but she’s one of the first children to stay on our new Ward 7!

As it’s winter time, Sheffield Children’s is preparing to treat lots of young patients with wheezing and bronchiolitis.

Sheffield Children’s is used to seeing these additional patients, and even has a ward dedicated to their care over winter. However during the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with these symptoms must be seen and treated in isolation until they have received a negative COVID-19 test, so new facilities were needed.

This is where Oona is staying with her mum Melissa, in one of the nine individual cubicles.

Ward 7 is a result of weeks of planning and preparation, and provides a further three bed spaces to increase overall capacity, as well as the individual cubicles.

Oona was brought in to the Emergency Department after her mum noticed she had very pale stools. She had her scans and tests completed and while her mum waited for the results, she told us about her experience on Ward 7.

Melissa said: “I do like the new Ward 7; it looks nice with a modern feel and offers space for parent and child. I feel comfortable using the rooms and the up-to-date functions are quite handy and easy to use.

“I felt me and my child were very safe and protected at Sheffield Children’s due to the rigorous measures put in place. The staff were protective for everyone’s health which is reassuring to see in this difficult COVID-19 pandemic. Although it wasn’t the easiest to be there by myself, the staff were supportive and understanding.”

Ward 7 will also help to relieve the expected winter pressures on the Emergency Department (ED) and the Acute Assessment Unit (AAU) as patients who might otherwise have stayed on AAU can be moved through to Ward 7 and treated in isolation.

The spacious ward is better for children and also helps with the management of COVID-19 because there is better air flow and more room for social distancing.

As the ward is next to the usual winter bronchiolitis ward (Ward 4), the same nursing team can work across both areas, making sure those colleagues with the greatest experience caring for patients with respiratory viruses are available to all the patients who need our help.