K6East Children’s includes a four bed high dependency unit, a four cot nursery, and isolation facilities.
K6West Adolescents has isolation facilities and has two single mental health observation suites that are specifically designed to support the care and management of young people with challenging behaviours. The suites incorporate access to their own recreation area and outdoor courtyard with a nursing observation space.
K6East and K6West have a philosophy based on family centred care. Staff encourage one parent to stay overnight with their child or adolescent (if requested by the adolescent).
Both wards have recreation spaces including outdoor courtyards specific for the age group of patients admitted to each ward. There is a gym, therapy room and inpatient school located on K6West. Services offered on the wards include play specialists, diversional therapists, and a teacher (during normal school terms). The children’s ward has a bright playroom. K6West has an adolescent recreation room. TVs are all installed at each bed/cot space, DVD players and games consoles are available for children and adolescents to keep them entertained during their admission.
Paediatric Services strongly believes in a multidisciplinary team approach and members of this team include physiotherapists, dietitians, occupational therapists, pharmacists, speech pathologists, social workers, and a psychologist.
Nursing staff range from new graduates to staff who have worked on the unit for over 30 years. All have a passion for caring for paediatric patients and their families and ensuring that they receive the highest standard of care. The inpatient wards offer a Post Graduate Certificate in Paediatric Nursing in conjunction with the University of Tasmania.
Medical staff include general paediatricians, paediatric surgeons, a paediatric oncologist, and paediatric intensivists.
The wards are particularly busy during the winter months with such illnesses as asthma, bronchiolitis, croup, and influenza.
