Placement Overview
| Placement Title | Clinical Assessment Unit – PARP 34 |
| Trust | |
| Your Placement Contact | Gabrielle Murphy, Kerry Smith, Azoh Achah – Send Email |
| Placement Contact’s Role | PEL/Sister |
| Placement Address | Rochdale Infirmary, Whitehall St, Rochdale, Ol12 0NB |
| Placement City/Town: | Rochdale |
| Placement Phone | 01706 517 515 |
| Your University Contact: | Annabella Gloster – Send Email |
About this placement
What is organised for students on commencement of placement?
Please download the Student Welcome Pack prior to commencing placement.
Prior to commencement of placement your off duty will be confirmed and your mentor allocated. It is recommended that when you ring for your off duty you request a visit, to meet your mentor and be orientated to the unit prior to your placement. This may help you overcome any nervousness you have. A student pack will be given which you can take away and read, which explains the placement philosophy and spokes this placement can offer.
What are the arrangements for mentors/assessors?
All students will be allocated a mentor prior to commencement of placement and they will be ready to welcome you on your first day.
What shift patterns are students allocated for learning?
Early:
07.30 – 15.30
Late:
12.30 – 20.30
Night:
20.00 – 08.00
Shift Notes:
Long Days : 07.30 – 20.30
The shift pattern normally consists of 3 long days per week with an extra short shift during your placement to make up your expected hours. The shift patterns allocated to you will be arranged with you and the Placement Education Lead for the Unit.
What patient care situations are available in this placement?
The Clinical Assessment Unit (CAU) is a twenty bedded unit. This unit is spread out over 4 bays and 8 side rooms. There is a separate Same Day Emergency Care unit (SDEC) where our patients mainly start their journey, the unit has 2 Bays which include cubicles for private assessment by the medical team or nursing staff.
The CAU provides rapid assessment and diagnostics, treatments and follow up management plans for patients referred by their GP, the Urgent Care Centre at Rochdale Infirmary (UCC), and other sites A&E departments and wards.
The Unit can also receive referrals from community services such as the HEATT car (HMR Emergency Assessment and Treatment Team) and the Urgent Community Care Team.
CAU is predominantly a short stay unit of approximately 48 hours, although at times patients can stay longer. Patients on the CAU are reviewed daily by a Consultant and are discharged to their own homes or residential/nursing care homes or they are transferred out to another area if needing further assessment in a specialist area either to the Royal Oldham hospital or to Fairfield General hospital. Patients can also be transferred to The Seacole Unit at Rochdale Infirmary or to Intermediate Care (IMC) Wolstenholme ward at Rochdale Infirmary or Tudor Court (IMC) in Heywood.
The Clinical Assessment Unit has a dedicated Consultant Dr Baig who is supported by a medical team. Weekend ward rounds are conducted by a Consultant from Royal Oldham Hospital.
The Unit works alongside various members of the Multidisciplinary Team to enable the best nursing care and outcome for each patient on an individual basis. During your time with us you will come into contact with :-
- Transfer of Care Team: who assist with discharge planning
- Discharge to Assess Team: consisting of nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists who assist with discharge planning and can take the patient home to be assessed in their own homes.
- Social Workers
- Pharmacists: On the Unit we have our own pharmacy team, one of which is a prescribing pharmacist who attends the daily ward round.
- X-Ray/ CT/MRI and Endoscopy Department.
- Tissue Viability Nurse: who provides expert advice on wound care and management.
- Dietician: who provides expert advice on nutrition.
- Alcohol Specialist nurses and Smoking Cessation Nurses: who provide advice in relation to alcohol related admissions and smoking cessation.
- Pathology/haematology/ blood bank: who provide blood test results. CAU has its own Point of Care lab where tests such as FBC, U&E’s, INR, Blood Gases and D-Dimer can be processed for rapid results to aid diagnosis.
- Mental Health Assessment Team.
- Ambulance Patient Transfer – the Unit has the privilege of having access to its own ambulance service which is available daily for patient admissions, discharges and transfers.
This list is not exhaustive as on a daily basis the Nursing Team work with many members of the Multi-disciplinary Team. During your placement you will be encouraged to spend some time with different members to understand each role in providing holistic care. Please make your Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor aware if you have a specific interest in any area.
What nursing model is used for planning care?
Roper, Logan and Tierney model.
What core clinical skills can be learnt?
Recording Observations (Blood Pressure, Heart Rate, Oxygen Saturations, Temperature)
Personal Hygiene
Moving and Handling
Feeding a Patient
Toileting a Patient
Urinalysis
Completing request cards
Monitoring input/output
Food Diary Completion
What additional clinical skills can be learnt?
- Electrocardiogram (ECG)
- Echocardiogram (Echo)
- CT scans
- MR scans
- X-rays
- Ultrasound scans
- Urinary Catheterisation
- Lumbar Puncture
- Ascitic drain
- Blood Transfusions
- Resuscitation
- Endoscopy
What resources are available to help students learning?
Please see the Student Pack
What research and practice development activities are being undertaken?
Spoke Placements
Wolstenholme Intermediate Care Unit
Tudor Court Intermediate Care Unit
Urgent Care Centre
Pharmacy
Floyd Unit
Physiotherapists
Occupational Therapists
Eye Unit
Programmed Investigations Unit/ Rheumatology hub
Endoscopy
Transfer of Care Team
Discharge to assess Team
X-ray department/ CT department
Alcohol Nurse/ Smoking Cessation Nurse
If you would like to attend any area as a Spoke placement please speak to your Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor. Please note, some Spoke places may be suspended due to the current situation with Covid 19 for Infection Prevention measures.
Additional Information