The Royal Victoria Infirmary

Contact Details
  • Address: The Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4LP
  • ICU Department Contact Details - 0191 282 4912
  • Faculty Tutor Name:  Dr Kaye Cantlay and Dr Chris Johnson
Unit Structure
  • Number of Beds:  Ward 18 – 22, ward 38 - 20       
  • Number of Admissions per year: 

            Ward 18 approximately 1500 per year, L3 ~1000, L2 ~ 500

            Ward 38 approximately 1100 per year, L3 ~350, L2 ~750

  • Percentage of Elective vs Emergency Admissions: 30% elective 70% emergency
Overview of Case Mix within the Unit:
  • Two adult units:
  • Ward 18 – Neurosurgery, Major Trauma, High Consequence Infectious Diseases, General medicine
  • Ward 38 – Upper GI surgery, General Surgery, Major Burns, Maternal Medicine, General medicine
  • Other RVI innovations – stroke thrombectomy service, PE Liaison team, home ventilation service
  • One Paediatric unit:
  • Regional PICU
  • There is split site working across both adult ITUs (in same building)
Research projects being undertaken within this Unit:
  • Academically active units with dedicated team of research nurses.
  • Current studies being recruited to:
  • SHORTER – Antibiotic duration
  • INFINIT – Interferon Gamma to prevent infection
  • MARCH – Mucocactives in respiratory failure
  • Innate Immunity – Biomarkers in critical illness
  • SOS – Hypertonic saline vs Mannitol in management of high ICP
  • One academic ITU consultant (50% ITU 50% university academic time)Regular journal club
Overview of the staffing for the Unit (including medical, ACCP, AHPs)
  • Resident staffing from stage 1-3 ICM, Anaesthetics stage 1-2, IMT, ACCS, Foundation year 2, teaching fellows, locally employed doctors and ACCPs

Weekdays (on each unit):

  • Consultants – 2 per unit 08:00-18:00 and one on call 18:00-0800 with consultant ward round at resident handover at 20:00
  • 2 residents on long days (08:00-20:30) and usually 2 on short days (08:00-17:00)
  • 2 residents on nights (20:00-08:30)

Weekends (on each unit):

  • Consultants – 1 per unit on for 24 hours
  • 2 residents on long days (08:00-20:30)
  • 2 residents on nights (20:00-08:30)

 
 

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 – both on adult and paediatric ICU placements
  • Interhospital transfers – Regional transfer and retrieval service (Adult and Paediatric NECTAR)
  • Acting up as an ICM Consultant (for Stage 3 trainees)
  • Other: Outreach and theatre sessions built into ITU rota, Recovery after Critical Illness service (ward round and clinics), Home ventilation service, Tertiary/quaternary referral centre for many specialties
Departmental Teaching:

  • Weekly formal teaching sessions, daily bedside teaching, weekly journal club, weekly radiology meetings/teaching

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

  • Monthly meetings for M&M, audit and governance, unit MDT meetings and senior staff meeting (stage 3 residents attend senior staff meetings)
The medical specialties and subspecialties it is possible to complete within the Trust/Health Board:
  • Stage 1:  Anaesthesia, Emergency Medicine, ICM and Medicine
  • Stage 2: Paediatric ICM and Neuro ICM  
  • SSY: Academic Research, Critical Care Echo, Education, Home Ventilation, Neuro, Paediatric & Transfer
Other facilities: 
  • Parking permits available, city centre site so excellent public transport links
  • On call rest facilities on both units, resident office on both units,
  • Hot food available 24/7 on site,
  • Resident office in main anaesthetic/critical care department (separate to clinical offices on the units).