Induction Lead is Dr Danny Matthew
Welcome to St George’s Hospital and the Adult Critical Care (ACC) Directorate.
The ACC Directorate includes NeuroICU, Cardiac ICU and General ICU. Many of you will rotate through more than one unit. There are important things to learn from each unit, different skills to acquire and ample opportunity for formal and experiential training.
Your colleagues are doctors from a variety of medical backgrounds with vastly different experiences, with different ideas and expectations. This can be challenging for all, but is also an unprecedented opportunity to work with and learn from a diverse group, for you and also for us.
There are specific induction leads for each adult ICU and they will be in touch when you rotate through each ICU.
As far as I am aware you will be joining us on NeuroICU either full-time or for on-call purposes.
I am currently the lead for induction on NeuroICU. I am one of the NeuroICU consultants and additionally one of the anaesthetic consultant specialising mainly in Neuroanaesthesia. I am also one of the anaesthetic college tutors.
I will be in touch with the actual date of induction. Please let me know if you are unable to attend on this date. If there are more of you that cannot attend then I will arrange another date. If you are unable to attend the second date, or are unable to listen to the on-line induction meeting (if this has been arranged) then please contact me to arrange a meeting with me when I am actually working on NeuroICU.
If you have not had a tour of NeuroICU by me by your first day of work then please let the consultant on-call for NeuroICU know that you are new to the unit and ask if they could arrange for you to be orientated.
NeuroICU Specific Resources
To give you a bit of background information for the Neuro Intensive Care unit you can find our updated NICU booklet which is worth reading through before you join us.
We also have a NeuroICU webpage. It is essential that you look through the website as it contains a wealth of information and additional useful resources.
Adult Critical Care Teaching and educational opportunities
There is an Education Calendar sign up for Critical Care Department at St George’s Hospital. Using your phone scan the QR code(s) below to sign up for the relevant education calendar(s). If you have an up to date iphone this is built into the camera app directly, but you may need a QR code scanning app if you use another phone (Android, windows etc). Alternatively use the internet address below. These will update in real time to keep you up to date with educational opportunities across the directorate.
NeuroICU Specific Teaching Program
The Educational lead for NeuroICU is Dr Andrew Hitchings. Andrew will be in contact to give you details of either your Educational supervisor (if you are new to adult critical care at St Georges) or your clinical supervisor (if only new to NeuroICU). Please arrange to meet with your ES during your first two weeks if possible.
There are a variety of teaching sessions in place on NeuroICU and Andrew will liaise with you with further information.
1. Consultant led teaching Thursday 14:00
2. Neuroradiology meeting Tuesday 14:00 (James Ambrose room). Monday SpR to email details by 13:00 on Monday.
3. NeuroICU SHO led teaching / journal club Friday 14:00 (supervised by NICU SpR)
Generic Adult Critical Care Senior Doctor Teaching Program
This is a Consultant or senior trainee delivered talk for staff across all three units covering a wide range of topics from the FICM syllabus. It is designed mainly for senior trainees (who have protected teaching) and Consultants, but all are welcome if unit work allows. The plan is for this to be monthly on a Thursday afternoon, however this is yet to be confirmed. This will include a monthly governance meeting and journal club topics.
Generic Adult Critical Care Junior Doctor Teaching Program
This is a consultant or senior trainee delivered program. This covers a wide range of topics aimed at more junior trainees as an introduction to topics important to the day to day work. These sessions are usually held on a Wednesday at 3pm as per link.
ECHO GETIT Program
This is program aiming to teach focused intensive care echo. Designed mainly for senior trainees, this program allows you to get a (free) FICE certificate, help towards your accreditation and more importantly learn a skill that will be useful for life
Audit, Research and QIP
We have an active audit and quality improvement program and often have projects which are presented at international conferences. You are encouraged to get involved in one or more of these projects. After discussion with your ES, time may be allocated to you to complete a project.
Our QIP, research and audit lead for NeuroICU is currently Dr Argy Zoumprouli. If you are interested in undertaking either a new audit, research or QIP or getting involved in a project that is already underway this then please discuss with either your ES or Argy.
I have attached a link of the recently updated anaesthesia QIP ‘recipe booklet’. This has been written and edited by consultant anaesthetic staff at St George’s. This may give you some ideas of projects that you could consider undertaking. https://www.rcoa.ac.uk/safety-standards-quality/support-anaesthetic-departments/raising-standards-rcoa-quality-improvement
NeuroICU is participating in many NIHR funded studies please use the relevant tab on the page menu for more information.
Other essential resources http://www.gicu.sgul.ac.uk/
From here you can download the chaos book pdf to your phone which is a guide and reference on everything that happens on the adult critical care. We also have resources on Clinibee (download the app) and on Microsoft Teams.
Leave requests and rota issues
Please liaise with Nana Frempomaa in the first instance with regards to all rota issues and leave requests.
If you need to escalate your concern or leave request for any reason then please liaise with your ES, Michael Puntis or the NICU consultant on-call depending on the urgency of the request / concern / issue.
We wish you an enjoyable and educationally valuable experience on NICU.
Neuro Intensive Care Unit 