Glasgow Royal Infirmary

Contact Details
  • Address: Glasgow Royal Infirmary, 84 Castle Street, Glasgow, G4 0SF
  • ICU Department Contact Details - 0141 201 5430
  • Faculty Tutor Name:  Dr Richard Cowan Richard.cowan2@nhs.scot
Unit Structure
  • Number of Beds: 20            

  • Number of Admissions per year: 

    Level 3: approx. 450      Level 2: approx. 450

  • Percentage of Elective vs Emergency Admissions: Approximately 15% elective admissions – these are mostly level 2 post-operative patients
Overview of Case Mix within the Unit:
  • Admits general surgical (upper GI, colorectal, pancreatic), general medical, urology, gynaecological, orthopaedics, and plastic surgical patients.
  • Tertiary referral centre for complex pancreatitis and Scottish national burns centre for adults.
  • No paediatric beds.
  • Busy maternity hospital onsite with abnormally invasive placenta service.
  • On site Interventional radiology suite/services. Intestinal failure, complex sarcoma and robotic surgery services in the hospital.
  • Busy medical department with several specialties. Located in area with high levels of comorbidity and deprivation with subsequent complex health needs in local population.
  • Trauma Unit in Scottish trauma network.
  • There is no split site working at this site
Research projects being undertaken within this Unit:
  • InS:PIRE – post-intensive care rehabilitation clinic with several associated research streams/projects
  • Recruitment for several RCTs/cohort studies including TRAITS, SHORTER, MARCH, ABC-ICU and GenOMICC with support from clinical research facility/research nurses
  • ICU Biobank project
  • Academic consultants with dedicated CSO research fellowship funding/time
  • Research team and Prof. Quasim (University of Glasgow Professor of Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Perioperative Medicine) supervise several students/research fellows with ongoing projects that interested trainees can potentially get involved with
  • Wide-ranging quality improvement programme with several embedded ongoing projects.
Overview of the staffing for the Unit (including medical, ACCP, AHPs)
  • FY1 doctors working 12.5 hour shifts.
  • 10 trainees on the rota at a time. Two trainees on call together at all times doing 12.5 hour shifts in both sides of the unit. Trainees come from ACCS, IMT and anaesthetic backgrounds from CT1 – ST7 grades.
  • Additionally we usually have 1-2 senior/advanced ICU trainees who take part in the consultant on call rota but always with a first on call consultant immediately available if required.
  • 4.5 ACCPs providing mostly day time cover

 

Training

Training opportunities when working at this Unit:
  • Training in point of care ultrasound
  • Opportunity to attend theatre for airway experience
  • Exposure to paediatric emergencies - not regularly
  • Interhospital transfers - if required
  • Acting up as an ICM Consultant (for Stage 3 trainees)
  • Other: Several FUSIC(Heart) mentors and mentors for other modules (HD, lung, abdo, vascular).
  • Weekly grand round, structured CPD tutorials and online archive of previous tutorials.
  • Weekly morbidity and mortality with monthly in depth reviews if required.
  • Percutaneous tracheostomy insertion training.
  • Bronchoscopy simulator
  • Tertiary referral centre for burns and complicated pancreatitis patients.
  • Affiliated with Glasgow University providing research opportunities.
  • Regular use of Intermittent Haemodialysis for renal replacement therapy.
  • Exposure to complex intestinal failure and sarcoma patients and their management
Departmental Teaching:

  • Weekly ICU teaching for rotating medical staff on Wednesday afternoons.
 

Details of clinical governance meeting days and/or M & M:                             

  • Weekly M&M meeting as part of grand round meeting.
  • Quarterly MDT governance meetings
The medical specialties and subspecialties it is possible to complete within theTrust/Health Board:
  • Stage 1:  Emergency Medicine, Medicine & Anaesthesia   

Which SSYs are offered in your unit:                     

  • Academic Research
  • Critical Care Echo
  • QI in Healthcare        
Other facilities: 
  • Multi-storey car park on site with a dedicated floor for non-permit holding staff.
    • Spaces available on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
  • On-call rooms with rest and wash facilities for medical staff within ICU floor plan.
  • On-site canteen/WH Smiths and Aroma coffee shops providing mostly in-hours catering.
  • Out-of-hours food provision for wider hospital via vending machines.
  • ICU coffee room has staff run “tuck-shop” and facilities for heating/storing food.