Feature - The stars come out at night
While Liverpool sleeps, The Walton Centre remains a hive of activity around the clock. We join colleagues on the night shift to discover what happens at the hospital after dark.
8pm – Senior Nurse Lisa Branch-Curtis from the Surgical/Medical Acute Response Team (SMART) meets with the Bed Manager Julie Amos and Ward Manager Amy France to discuss the handover from day to night. The team also meets to allocate resources across the Trust.
9pm - SMART catch-up to discuss the best plan of action for the night ahead
9.30pm – Radiographer Lisa Thomas reviews activity before leaving site. She is on-call overnight, ready to receive patients to scan or image at any time.
10pm – On Lipton Ward, Registered Nurse Renchi Joseph makes sure patient documentation is correct during lights out.
10.30pm - Healthcare Assistant Jake Jackson has to monitor a tracheostomy patient throughout the night. Sometimes our clinical staff will be assigned to one patient because the complex nature of their condition needs constant supervision.
11pm – The clinical team in Horsley ITU are turning a patient to ensure they do not develop pressure sores during the night.
11.30pm - Sisters Julie Jones and Anna Cameron review monitoring readouts by torchlight on ITU, so as not to disturb the day/night cycle for sleeping patients.
11.30pm – In Theatres, the on-call team responds when a patient needs an emergency surgery to drain excess blood from a haematoma.
1am – A Porter is on duty throughout the night. Andy takes patients for scans, as well as retrieves equipment and supplies needed for patient care.
2am – Neuroanaesthetic Registrar for ITU Dr Ravindra Rahangdale works with the ITU nursing team to manage a patient’s treatment and care.
3am – Dr Rahangdale discusses cases with Neuroanaesthetic Registrar for Theatres Dr Shavikal Megha-Raj.
5am – Security Officers are present 24/7, ensuring staff and patients are safe. Garry regularly walks the building perimeter making sure the site is secure.