William Harvey Hospital

Contact Details
  • Address: William Harvey Hospital, Kennington Road, Willesborough, Ashford, Kent,TN24 0LZ
  • ICU Department Contact Details - 01233 633331 ext 723 8437
  • Faculty Tutor Name: Dr Neil Richardson - neil.richardson3@nhs.net

 

Unit Structure
  • Number of Beds: 24                           
  • Number of Admissions per year: Level 3: 38%   Level 2: 41%
  • Percentage of Elective vs Emergency Admissions: 16% Elective
Overview of Case Mix within the Unit:
  • Mix of general medical and surgical cases.
  • Bulk of admissions are emergency medical admissions with a significant number of emergency laparotomy cases.
  • In addition, the hospital is the regional head and neck cancer centre. Elective admissions include major maxillofacial cancer resection with plastic surgery reconstruction.
  • In addition, the hospital has the 5th busiest primary PCI centre in England. We see a significant number of out of hospital cardiac arrest patients every year.
  • There is no split site working within this Unit

 

Research projects being undertaken within this Unit:

We have a mix of National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and homegrown research projects. We are currently recruiting to the following studies: MARCH, UK ROX, SIGNET, HYENA.

We have supported numerous doctors through the Associate PI scheme. 

We will also be recruiting to RELEASE and Awake Prone in 2025.

We have a grant to conduct a RCT looking into structured mouth care in reducing VAP rates. We have numerous GAP projects and audits. We have a full time research nurse and a full time audit/QI nurse.

Overview of the staffing for the Unit (including medical, ACCP, AHPs)

There are two tiers of resident medical grades, senior (airway) and junior. There are at least 1 senior and 2 junior doctors on nights/weekends. We use a self-rostering system which the doctors find offers the most flexibility. The senior tier consists of ST3+ trainees in ICM and Anaesthesia, along with senior Clinical Fellows. The junior tier consists of doctors rotating through from other specialties such as medicine, anaesthesia, ACCS and junior clinical fellows plus advanced critical care practitioners.

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 
  • Interhospital transfers 

  • Opportunity to attend a Cardiac Catheterisation lab

  • Acting up as an ICM Consultant (for Stage 3 trainees)

    Other: We have our own simulation suite within the department.

 

Departmental Teaching:

  • ICM teaching every Wednesday afternoon (protected time). This includes a journal club. It is mapped against the FICM syllabus.

  • We organise a FFICM OSCE/VIVA exam day.

  • Organ donation teaching.

 

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

M&M every 2 months. Monthly steering group meetings, audit and research meetings. Trust governance days occur once per month.

 

The medical specialties and subspecialties it is possible to complete within the Trust/Health Board:
  • Stage 1:  Emergency Medicine, Medicine & Anaesthesia
Other facilities: 

  • There are 3 on-call rooms within the department with beds. We encourage their use when work allows.

  • There is an office for resident doctors with lockers and computers.

  • There is a changing room with showers within the department.

  • There is a staff coffee room with fridges, microwaves etc. but sadly no hot food can be purchased after 17:00.

  • Staff require parking permits