Children and Young People's surgical day unit - South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Children's surgical day unit staff outside entrance

The children and young people’s surgical day unit nurses are here to look after you and your family throughout your theatre journey.

We have a mixture of children’s nurses and recovery nurses who will look after you throughout the day. We also have healthcare assistants and a trainee play specialist who help the nursing team.

The unit is open 7.30am to 7pm Monday to Friday. If you need to speak to us outside of these hours please contact Ward 22 who offer a 24 hour telephone line on 01642 854522.

What we do

The unit cares for children who require planned and emergency day surgery. We care for lots of different surgical specialties at the the same time. Children and young people must be four months old to 19 years old and expected to be able to go home on the day of their operation.

We also care for children from other wards such as ward 21, ward 22 and the children and young people’s critical care unit after their operations.

What is the unit like?

The Children and Young People’s Surgical Day Unit is a seven bedded unit caring for children and young people for 0-19 years old.

The unit has been awarded gold accreditation for Autism Acceptance by the North East Autism Society and we strive to deliver high quality, individual care to all our patients.

The unit is divided into four areas:

A children’s area with four beds, brightly decorated and near the nurses station.
A young people’s zone with two beds and beanbags. This is a quiet and less decorated area on the far side of the unit. It has its own toilet facilities and is close to the entry doors to theatre. It is designed for older patients or those who need a quieter environment.
A sensory room. The sensory room can be customised to the needs of the child or young person. It has a reclining chair rather than a bed, a padded floor, beanbags and integrated light systems which can be displayed in different colours and combinations.
A dedicated children and young person’s recovery unit. This is a four bedded unit which allows children and young people to wake up away from adult patients, cared for by our specialised children’s recovery nurses. There are four bays, two of which are set up with sensory equipment.

There are chairs by every bed for parents and carers to use. We also have a disabled toilet and baby change facilities. The unit has limited wifi which you can connect to, but this is not always reliable.

We regret that we do not have facilities to take care of siblings for you on the unit and request that alternative childcare is found if you are bringing your child for surgery. If this is not possible, please speak to the pre assessment team when you see them for review before your admission.

There is a large play area separating the children and young people’s zones staffed by our play specialist and healthcare teams. This includes a quiet reading space, table and chairs for colouring, an interactive floor space as well as many toys to distract children before and after surgery. If you child needs any specific items you are encouraged to bring these with you.