Stoke Mandeville Hospital is the trauma centre for the Trust and therefore all children who require unplanned surgery will be brought here.

The children’s ward based in the Wendover Wing offers 26 beds, including 12 cubicles, and is separated into bays to allow patients to be accommodated together with other children in their age range. There are also two high dependency rooms which can accommodate up to 4 patients. The ward features eye-catching paint work and graphics, and access to a safe outdoor play area.

There is an adolescents’ lounge for older children, complete with computer games and television, helping to ensure that children can take their mind off being unwell. 

A parents’ lounge, with tea and coffee making facilities, also means that mums and dads can have a break in a quiet space of their own.

Immediately adjacent to the hospital’s main A&E department, a dedicated paediatric section has been created, providing dedicated triage and assessment facilities, with five observational and short-stay beds.

Wycombe Hospital provides a children's day unit (called ambulatory or WACU) where children can be assessed by a paediatrician following a same-day referral by their GP. Children who attend the children's day unit may be observed for a short period and discharged home or, if necessary, admitted to the children's ward at Stoke Mandeville Hospital for further treatment and observation.

The children's day unit also provides care for children who are undergoing day procedures or surgery.

We have a large number of staff working within the children’s department. The majority of them have undergone specific paediatric training and are experienced in talking to children and their worried parents as well as managing children’s illnesses.

A paediatric community nursing team supports the department’s philosophy of not keeping children in hospital longer than required.

See also:

• Community paediatrics
• Maternity services
• Neonatal services