Royal Alexandra Hospital

Contact Details
  • Address: Royal Alexandra Hospital, Corsebar Road, Paisley, PA2 9PN
  • ICU Department Contact Details - 0141 314 7069
  • Faculty Tutor Name:  Dr Douglas Findlay
Unit Structure
  • Number of Beds: 21                   
  • Number of Admissions per year: Level 3: 300      Level 2: 1000
  • Percentage of Elective vs Emergency Admissions: 

            L3 = 100% emergency admissions

            L2 = Mixture of elective & emergency admissions 

Overview of Case Mix within the Unit:
  • Twenty one critical care beds, with flexibility in level 2 and 3 capacity (baseline setup is 9x level 3, 12x level 2).
  • In addition to their ICU shifts, the ICM consultants provide cover for the HDU during Monday-Friday daytime.
  • There are multiple sources of referral to our ICU.
  • RAH: we receive referrals from the emergency department, HDU, medicine, upper GI & colorectal surgery, urology, obstetrics and gynaecology.
  • Inverclyde Royal Hospital: we are the receiving site for patients admitted to IRH who require ICU support. Patients are stabilised by the anaesthetists in IRH before being transferred to the RAH for ongoing ICU treatment.
  • EMRS: we receive patients via helicopter or road transfer from locations throughout the Argyll & Clyde region.
  • We are a trauma unit within the established West of Scotland major trauma network.
  • There are no inpatient paediatric beds within the RAH. Paediatric cases requiring ICU input are uncommon in our Emergency Department.
  • Trainees from ICM, Anaesthesia & ACCS work within the 9 bedded ICU footprint. However, overnight we support HDU with issues that may include line insertion, stabilisation and transfers.
  • There is no split site working within this Unit
Research projects being undertaken within this Unit:
  • TRAITS
  • SIGNET
Overview of the staffing for the Unit (including medical, ACCP, AHPs)
  • We welcome resident doctors from intensive care medicine (stage 2 & 3), anaesthesia (all stages), ACCS and medicine.
  • Our stage 3 resident doctors work on a non-resident band 1A rota, with a consultants immediately contactable at all times.
  • We have 2 clinical fellows who contribute to the resident on-call rota.
  • We have 3 FY1s on 4 monthly rotations who provide daytime cover.
  • We have seven ACCPS who work on the resident on-call rota.
  • There is daytime pharmacy, dietitian, PT, OT and SLT input from Monday-Friday.
  • There are clinical psychologists who work across all 3 GGC critical care units.
  • The consultants work a hybrid rota of 3/4/5 day stretches, ensuring continuity for patients, families and staff.

Training

Training opportunities when working at this Unit:
  • Echocardiography (qualified FUSIC mentors in addition to consultants who provide regular echo sessions to the cardiology department).
  • FUSIC
  • Opportunity to attend theatre for airway experience
  • Frequent opportunities to undertake inter-hospital transfers.
  • Acting up as an ICM Consultant (for Stage 3 trainees).
  • Renal replacement therapy – citrate
  • Medical HDU
  • iNSPIRE follow up service
  • Medical student teaching
  • Simulation
  • ACCP & Nursing education
  • Multiple QI projects ongoing
  • Infrequent exposure to paediatric emergencies.
Departmental Teaching:

  • Weekly MDT on Tuesday afternoon – includes journal club/educational session.

  • Weekly ICM focussed teaching on Wednesday afternoon.

  • Weekly teaching organised by anaesthetic department (day varies)

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

  • Weekly MDT on Tuesday afternoon where all admitted patients are discussed.
  • Weekly review of M&M cases with identification of cases that warrant extended review.
  • Quarterly extended M&M with colleagues from theatres and IRH.
  • Quarterly transfer meetings to review patients transferred into RAH from other sites. 
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:                     

  • PHEM
Other facilities: 
  • There is non-permit parking available on the hospital site, with nearby Paisley Canal Street offering regular train services to Glasgow.
  • There is an on-call room available for resident staff.
  • There is an ICU staff room with facilities for refrigeration & heating of food, tea & coffee and snacks.
  • There is a seminar room within the unit, in addition to the hospital library which is on the floor below the ICU. There are private study booths within the education department.