Our Intensive Care Unit cares for patients who require highly specialised treatment. This often happens after undergoing major surgery, following an accident or whilst suffering a serious illness.
Negative pressure isolation rooms and zones to managed airborne diseases are also available.
The length of time you spend in the Intensive Care Unit depends on how unwell you are. Most patients are with us for between several hours and one week. Very occasionally, some people need the care of the team for several months.
Having a family member or close friend admitted to an Intensive Care Unit can be an overwhelming experience. We recognise the importance of family and friends in helping patients recover and welcome you to be involved with your loved one’s journey.
Information for carers and loved ones
The My Life After ICU website provides more information for patients, families and carers who have experienced ICU.
The website will help you can gain a better understanding of what an Intensive Care Unit is like and how it affects everyone, as well as hopefully make your time a little less traumatic.
How to contact us
The Intensive Care Unit’s telephone number is (02) 5124 3300. There is no voicemail service. Telephone enquiries are usually received by the ward clerk. Ward clerks are on duty between 7.30am and 9pm.
If you are unable to visit in person you can send an email for your loved one or attending family members to icu@act.gov.au
Visiting
There are current COVID-19 restrictions in place. Please make sure you read the restrictions before you come to the hospital.
Our unit is open to visitors 24 hours a day. Before you visit, please consider whether you are well.
Bringing coughs, colds or stomach upsets into the Intensive Care Unit can mean the difference between life and death for some of our most vulnerable patients.
- We aim to keep to two visitors at a time.
- Children are very welcome, with an adult to accompany them. If you are bringing a child to visit someone in the Intensive Care Unit and you would like us to help you prepare them, please let us know.
- Anyone who is unwell should not visit.
- Make sure you have washed your hands.
- No flowers or plants can be brought into the unit.
The doors to the Intensive Care Unit are kept closed and are opened by staff from inside. Let our staff know you have arrived by pressing the intercom on the wall and wait for someone to answer. We will ask your name and who you are visiting, and then we will take a moment to check that your loved one is able to have a visitor.
To protect patient privacy and maintain our high care standards we might ask you to wait in the nearby ICU waiting area. Your loved one may be receiving treatment, or their neighbour may be having a procedure. If you have been asked to wait and you feel that you have been waiting a particularly long time, please let us know.
As you enter the unit use the hand rub and make sure you thoroughly soak your hands. Use it on the way out too.
While you are visiting
- Make sure not to touch any equipment.
- Don’t sit on the bed.
- If your loved one is in a specialised isolation room, we may ask you to wear some personal protective items. Your nurse will explain this to you if it’s necessary.
- No photos or videos please, especially of the Intensive Care Unit staff.
- We encourage you to touch and communicate with your loved one. You may like to brush their hair or hold their hand. You can use headphones or earphones to let them listen to music.
- There are accommodation options available if you are travelling from outside the ACT to Canberra Hospital.
ICU waiting area
If you are spending a lot of time at the Intensive Care Unit you may like to bring something to help you pass the time such as a book or mobile device. It’s important to look after yourself too. Remember to stretch your legs, take breaks, get fresh air, drink enough water and eat well as much as possible.
We can provide you with support or help you contact the support you need.
After the Intensive Care Unit
When you no longer need intensive care support, we will transfer you to a general ward.
To make sure the transition is smooth, our clinical handover processes ensure we communicate your progress and your health needs to the staff on the general wards.
Recovery times are different for everyone, and patients who have been in the Intensive Care Unit may find that they spend a longer time recovering.
Preparing to go home
Going home can be exciting and even a little worrying.
Your care team will consult with each other to make arrangements for your discharge.
We will make sure you are medically ready and have all the support you need to continue your recovery at home, or in some cases, you may be going to a rehabilitation hospital to help you continue your recovery.
Support
It can be difficult and emotional to see your loved one in the Intensive Care Unit. If you have questions or need support, we can help.
You can chat to your loved one’s medical team, speak to our social worker or ask our volunteers for help. Our social workers are available 7 days a week from 8:30am to 9:30pm. Ask the ward clerk, medical or nursing staff to arrange an appointment for you.
We have information about our Spiritual Support Services.
Chaplains from Catholic, Anglican and Uniting Churches work within the hospital and can provide spiritual support to anyone who needs it, regardless of faith.
Clergy from most denominations can be contacted on request. Please ask our staff to help you arrange a visit.
Organ and tissue donation
When a loved one is seriously ill, many people start to consider things they haven’t discussed before. One of these issues may be organ and tissue donation.
Organ Donor Coordinators from DonateLife ACT are available to provide information and support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
To arrange a meeting, please ask the Intensive Care Unit nursing or medical staff, or contact an Organ Donor Coordinator directly by ringing the hospital switchboard and asking for the Organ Donor Coordinator.
Research
We may ask you or your loved one about participating in research or using their information to include in a study. ICU research staff are always working on projects to improve care and find out more about illnesses. All participation is voluntary and your loved one may withdraw from the research project at any time. Research will never compromise quality of care.
