Intensive Care and High Dependancy Units

Our Intensive Care and High Dependancy Unit at East Cheshire NHS Trust is committed to providing the highest quality care for patients, and their families, who require critical care medicine.                        

Levels of care

Patient care is often referred to as a level of care:

• Level one – Ward based care, patient does not require any organ support.
• Level two – High dependency care, patients who can breathe without mechanical ventilation, but require single organ support for either the respiratory, cardiovascular or renal system. Patients at this level are cared for by one trained nurse to two patients, supported by a health care assistant.
• Level three – Intensive care patients, who require either mechanical ventilation and/or the support of two or more organs. These patients are staffed with one nurse to one patient.

About the unit

The Intensive Care (IC) and High Dependancy Unit (HD) at Macclesfield District General Hospital has seven beds which are utilised as level three or level two beds dependant on patient need.
 
Here at East Cheshire NHS Trust we provide comprehensive care for patients who are critically ill through either injury or illness. We treat approximately 280 patients per year, and our nurses undertake extensive training and utilise a range of equipment, monitoring devices, interventions and supportive treatment to assist in the care of the critically ill patient. Our staff are supported in their learning and development by a nurse consultant and practice development facilitator who are committed to providing both theoretical and practical based training to ensure staff achieve their full potential.
 
Patients are admitted from any speciality within the hospital, occasionally planned, for example after major surgery, but most commonly as an emergency. Occasionally we accept patients into intensive care at Macclesfield District General Hospital from external sources who may be referred due to local capacity issues. Whilst in our unit you will still be under the care of your admitting consultant supported by the Anaesthetic Team who provide 24 hour cover with a resident speciality doctor and an on call consultant.

What happens in the unit?

Whilst in the Intensive Care and High Dependancy Unit you will be treated, as appropriate, by members of a multi disciplinary team consisting of nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, pharmacists, dieticians and speech and language therapists to ensure all your health care needs are addressed.
 
When patient’s no longer require intensive care they will be discharged to the ward, prior to discharge you will be seen by a member of our Outreach Team. These are specialist nurses who will ensure continuity of care by visiting you on the ward after discharge, liaising with nursing and medical staff to facilitate your recovery and rehabilitation from critical illness. Once discharged from hospital you will be invited to a critical care follow up clinic where you will have the opportunity to discuss with experienced staff your hospital journey whilst also addressing any problems encountered as a result of your critical illness and subsequent rehabilitation.
 
The Critical Care Unit at Macclesfield District General Hospital is a member of the Cheshire and Mersey Critical Care Network which is committed to sharing and promoting best practice, both clinically and managerially to ensure the best possible outcomes for the critically ill patient.

Our teams

More information

Tel: 01625 661032/3
Fax: 01625 661436