2019: Stoke Mandeville PDU and Renal Unit

Stoke Mandeville Paediatric Decision Unit (PDU)

Stoke Mandeville Hospital is the trauma centre for the Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust and the Paediatric Decision Unit (PDU) admits GP referrals and provides urgent and emergency care to children and young people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

PDU is adjacent to the hospital’s main A&E department with dedicated triage and assessment facilities and in 2018 saw around 27,000 children and young people

Haddenham Rotary recently installed a TV for each bed in the PDU and additionally gave a couple of hand held Kindle tablets

President Tim Mahoney receives thanks form Sara, the PDU Play Leader

Photo: Tim Mahoney

"On behalf of all the staff, children and parents I want to thank you so much for the brand new televisions which have been installed in the PDU, and for the Kindles too. The difference it makes to a frightened young child is incredible and makes their stay with us a little easier. I spent half an hour with a little 6 year old last week playing on the Kindle before his MRI scan, he was calm and relaxed which is exactly how we needed him to be. We are all so grateful for your kindness and generosity" 

Sarah – PDU Play Leader

A PDU Experience:
“Following a referral from a GP we took our young baby into the Paediatric Decision Unit. The team were great in how they met and treated us, quickly diagnosing the problem, explaining the next steps clearly and subsequently liaising effectively with the Children’s Ward when we had to stay overnight

Our baby was transferred to another hospital for surgery which took time to arrange but we were kept informed all the way through and the transfer was done very quickly by a fantastic ambulance crew
We dealt with many staff, all were brilliant, and we are hugely grateful to PDU and the children’s ward. When it really mattered for a very young child, the hospital really delivered”

Stoke Mandeville Renal Unit

The 12 bed dialysis unit at Stoke Mandeville Hospital treats 72 kidney patients for 4 hours, 3 times per week, each week. That's 624 hours of dialysis per patient per year, so entertainment to help pass the time and distract from the dialysis process iteself, is an essential part of a patients well-being

Previously 12 beds shared 5 televisions and the choice of a channel to watch was something of a lottery

Now, every bed has it's own TV and DVD machine, remote control and comfy headphones, so each patient can please themeselves about what to watch. A vast improvement

Photos: Jose Rico-Diaz

Haddenham Rotary collaborated with Six Counties Kidney Patients Association (SCKPA) who are a major donor to the project, the Aylesbury Freemasons and with Stoke Mandeville Hospital, to plan and deliver this very worthwhile improvement in patient care

For more information on SCKPA click the logo below: