This section tells you about our inpatient care service for children and young persons presenting with asthma and wheeze to Darent Valley Hospital
Children’s Emergency Department
If you have had an asthma attack or wheezy exacerbation and are seen in our Children's Emergency department, our Emergency children's doctors, nurses and team will treat your emergency symptoms.
If your asthma attack was milder, we may watch you closely for a period of observation, before being given a treatment plan to go home.
You are more likely to go home from the emergency department if your symptoms were not severe, you've previously not required intensive care, you have no significant underlying medical problems, you don't need oxygen and are able to last 3-4 hours without inhalers. If this is not the case, you may be transferred to the Paediatric Assessment or be admitted to the Children's ward.
Paediatric Assessment Unit
Our Paediatric Assessment Unit is co-located in our new Children's Emergency department. Here, the Paediatric team will be involved in your care. They may observe you for longer and provide additional treatment if needed. If for your health and wellbeing you need to be admitted to our Children's ward for ongoing care, you will be transferred across to Willow Ward, on the 1st floor of the hospital.
Willow Children’s Ward
Our Children's ward is a specially designed ward to offer the best care for your child. Our nurses will tell you all about the ward and visiting. Your child will be admitted with you and you will be allocated a specialist doctor for children called a Paediatrician and specialist children's nurses. On our ward there are lots of other members of the team, who will introduce themselves to you.
We will try to arrange members of our respiratory team to also see you if your asthma attack or wheeze was severe, or you have poorly controlled asthma. We may also help you to have follow up with your GP, asthma practice nurse, and if needed our outpatient Paediatric and/or Paediatric asthma service.
We will explain all of this to you!
Feel free to watch our video below for more information about our Willow Children's ward...
Going home