Belfast City Hospital

Contact Details
  • Address: Belfast City Hospital, Lisburn Road, Belfast, BT9 7AB
  • ICU Department Contact Details - 02895041096
  • Faculty Tutor Name:  Dr Helen Surgenor - Helen.surgenor@belfasttrust.hscni.net
Unit Structure
  • Number of Beds:  12 (8.5 L3 equivalents)                 
  • Number of Admissions per year: Level 3: 220       Level 2: 240
  • Percentage of Elective vs Emergency Admissions: 30:70
Overview of Case Mix within the Unit:
  • 20% elective surgical, 45% emergency surgical, 35% medical. 
  • Surgical patients generally made up of major upper GI, hepatobiliary and general surgery.
  • Medical patients include general medicine plus haematology and oncology patients.
  • There is no split site working within this Unit
Research projects being undertaken within this Unit:

MARCH (Phase 3 RCT, Mucolytics for respiratory failure) (https://nictu.hscni.net/service/march-trial/)

VitDalize (Phase 3 RCT, High dose Vitamin D in critical illness) (https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/bctu/trials/portfolio-v/vitdalize)

GUARDS (https://inflammation-research.ed.ac.uk/clinical-trials/guards-trial)

SepTIC (https://septictrial.co.uk)

INFINIT (https://infinittrial.co.uk)

CORRECT (https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/med/research/ctu/trials/corecct/)

Research fellowships and higher research degrees (through Queen’s University Belfast) may be available.  Please contact Dr Jon Silversides (j.silversides@qub.ac.uk) to discuss.
Overview of the staffing for the Unit (including medical, ACCP, AHPs)

Consultant rota 1:8 – daily consultant cover with usually 2 ICU Consultants, evening Consultant ward rounds

Trainees

Internal Medicine Year 2 trainees, Anaesthesia/ACCS CT1s & 2 research/ICM fellows make up the on call rota and daily staffing

Senior anaesthesia trainee for theatres supports overnight (ST3+)

Training

Training opportunities when working at this Unit:
  • Opportunity to attend theatre for airway experience 
  • Interhospital transfers (not commonly performed)
  • Acting up as an ICM Consultant (for Stage 3 trainees) 

  • Other: Percutaneous tracheostomies performed on Unit. QI training encouraged in the Belfast Trust with access to regional Level 1 & level 1.5 QI training, with further training available as part of the Specialist Trainees Engaged in Leadership Programme.
Departmental Teaching:
  • Regular regional ICM teaching days
  • Weekly anaesthesia and ICM teaching
  • 6 weekly ICU education meeting
  • Monthly Journal club anaesthesia & ICM

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

  • Monthly standardised morbidity and mortality meeting
  • Weekly ICU clinical governance & management meeting (monthly this is an MDT meeting)
  • Monthly M&M / clinical governance meetings with the anaesthetic department
The medical specialties and subspecialties it is possible to complete within theTrust/Health Board:
  • Stage 1:  Emergency Medicine, Medicine & Anaesthesia   
  • Stage 2: Neuro ICM, Paediatric ICM and Cardiothoracic ICM

Which SSYs are offered in your unit:                     

  • Academic Research      
Other facilities: 

  • Parking permits provided for resident doctors 

  • on-call rooms provided for resident doctors working overnight

  • Hospital canteen only open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but ICU coffee room and theatres next door equipped with microwaves/toasters available 24h a day. 

  • Anaesthesia office available to anaesthesia and intensive care trainees away from the department for studying / teaching.