How can I find out how my relative is during their stay in critical care?
We understand that this is a really difficult time for relatives and you want to know how your family member is progressing. We aim to provide you with regular medical updates via the telephone. It is likely that these will be daily early on in the critical care stay but may become less frequent as your relatives condition becomes more stable.
You are welcome to call the unit to receive an update from the bedside nurse.
The best way to find out information about your relative is to contact the unit directly on the numbers provided. If you have a non-urgent enquiry you may use the email address provided below.
You may also email us at: uclh.
The Letters for Loved Ones service can help bring photographs and letters to patients on the wards.
1st Floor ICU: 0203 448 3123
1st Floor HDU 1: 0203 448 4815
1st Floor HDU 2: 0203 448 3574
Ground Floor ICU: 0203 448 4718
Ground Floor HDU: 0203 448 4823
Mobile phone for calling patients (please arrange the call in advance): 07932 624 736
We understand that this is a very difficult time for relatives and you want to know how your family member is progressing.
We aim to provide you with regular medical updates via the telephone. It is likely that these will be daily early on in the critical care stay but may become less frequent as your relative’s condition becomes more stable.
You are welcome to call the unit to receive an update from the bedside nurse. However there are a few things to bear in mind;
• Please try and avoid calling during the nursing handover periods, which are 07:45 to 08:45 and 19:45 to 20:45.
• Please try and allocate one member of the family to call, who will share information with the rest of the family. The nurses are often busy caring for your loved one and it is not usually possible to manage multiple calls.
• The nurses answering the phone will be wearing PPE and it can be difficult to be heard over the phone. Please keep conversations brief.
• We try to keep the unit quiet at night for the benefit of the patients, so please avoid calling at night if you can.
It may be possible for us to provide video calls using the application ‘bluejeans’. If a patient is not able to consent to this then we are required to make a best interests decision in collaboration with you and the MDT. You may also request a video call to the patient or yourself or both with a faith leader.
It is not permitted to record the call or capture and any images transferred during the call. These calls are solely for personal use and cannot be shared on social media without the patient’s consent. Video calls will not last longer than 20 minutes for conscious patients and 10 minutes for unconscious patients.
You can download the ‘bluejeans’ app on any smartphone, iPad or desktop computer. Once installed, you can open the application by clicking on the icon. We will arrange the meeting and provide you with a meeting ID which you can input when you select ‘Join a meeting or event’.