Who decides if I will be admitted to Intensive Care and how do they decide that?

We work with all our patients to try to always offer the best and most appropriate treatment. We will try to work out what has caused you to become unwell and then what can be done to make you better. The views of you and your family are very important and they will be taken into consideration.

Unfortunately, not all illnesses are treatable and intensive care may not fix the underlying problems. In these cases it may be more appropriate to continue active treatment with things like antibiotics and fluids in a drip on a normal hospital ward rather than be admitted to intensive care. We will not use treatments that we know will not help you recover or will cause you harm or unnecessary distress.

We will always do our best to explain everything to you. Our goal is to always keep your best interests at the centre of everything that we do. 

How long will I be in Intensive care?

The length of time that patients spend in Intensive care varies a lot. Patients who are admitted for close monitoring after an operation might only need to stay in Intensive care overnight or for a few days. Other patients might require Intensive care treatment for weeks or even months. 

The Intensive care team looking after you may be able to give you an idea about what they expect but it is often very difficult to know how patients will respond and how quickly. We know that this can be very unsettling for both you and your relatives and loved ones. We will always try to keep you updated.