Concord Hospital

Concord Hospital

General Information

Currently the ICU and the HDU are combined in the one area. There are 10 ICU and 4 HDU beds. The area is located on the second floor (Level 2 North) of the Multistory Building. Both units provide 24-hour medical and nursing cover.

The Intensive Care Unit

Each bed area in the ICU has been equipped for continuous monitoring of the patient’s vital signs (such as heart rate and blood pressure). The Unit can also support the patient’s breathing using mechanical ventilators. The ICU also has the capability to support patients in kidney failure with dialysis machines if needed. Patients in this area are nursed on a one nurse to one patient ratio.

The ICU provides, for appropriate patients, a clinical service to inpatients of the hospital and to the local community. The Unit is also part of a statewide tertiary ICU referral service and provides a supra-specialty ICU referral service for patients with major burns as part of the NSW Severe Burn Injury Service.

The High Dependency Unit

Patients who are admitted to the High Dependency Unit require care that is intermediate between the general wards and the Intensive Care Unit. The patients are less sick than the ICU patients and require less monitoring and less support. These patients are nursed on a one nurse to two patient ratio. Their stay in the HDU is usually much shorter as well.

Intensive Care Services

The ICU and HDU are geographically combined and the management of the two units comes under the umbrella of the Intensive Care Services. There are 5 Intensive Care Medical Specialists as well as residents and registrars who are in attendance on site 24 hours a day. The senior nursing staff consist of the NUM, the Clinical Nurse Consultant in Critical Care and two Nurse educators.

Unit Staff

There are many staff in the Intensive Care Team who come together to make the Units function. The list includes (“in alphabetical order of appearance”) cleaners, dietitians, doctors, enrolled nurses, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, porters, secretarial support, storemen, radiographers, radiologists and visiting health care professionals from many disciplines and specialties. In total there are over 100 full-time and part-time ICU staff members.

There is a broad education program that caters for nursing staff, anaesthetic trainees, intensive care trainees and medical students. As well, students in dietetics, pharmacy and physiotherapy spend time attached to the Units.

Research

The unit has an active research program involving both medical and nursing staff. Research programs include several multi-centre trials as well as locally initiated studies, projects and audits.

Intensive Care & the Concord Hospital

One of the main aims of the Intensive Care Services is to integrate its activities with the rest of the Hospital. This is being achieved through a number of avenues. Nursing staff provide advice and follow up of patients on the wards. Radiologists and Infectious Disease Consultants attend the Units each week for clinical and education sessions. The Intensive Care Review Committee was formed to allow input, from a broad Hospital representation, into the running of the Intensive Care Services.

Plans for the Future

The Intensive Care Services are now relocated in a new modern facility and while most of the equipment is modern and state-of-the-art we hope to continue to upgrade other equipment and purchase new and different equipment in order to improve patient care.

How To Get To Concord Hospital

A map of the hospitals's location is below. A more detailed map can be found at the Whereis Online WebSite.