The Paediatric Intensive Care Unit - Rosella Ward

The Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is managed by the Unit Medical Director, Warwick Butt, and the Nurse Unit Manager, Ash Doherty. 

The care of each PICU patient is managed by the PICU consultant on duty, together with a team of PICU registrars, and by a non-PICU medical team consisting of a consultant, registrar and resident (eg. Cardiology, Cardiac surgery or Oncology). Other specialist services may also be consulted about the child's care.

There are 7 PICU Consultants in Intensive Care, of whom one is on duty during the day for one week and another on call at night. The day-to-day medical care is provided by a number of senior registrars based in the PICU. The PICU registrars are senior doctors with advanced training in intensive care, paediatrics, anaesthesia or emergency medicine. The RCH PICU is accredited for 2 years advanced training in intensive care by the Joint Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine (RACP and ANZCA)

The unit employs approximately 110 EFT nursing staff of which most have a post registration qualification in paediatric intensive care, or are working towards it.  In addition to the nurse unit manager there are 5 associate nurse unit managers, as well as clinical nurse specialists and registered nurses. Two clinical nurse educators and two clinical nurse facilitators are based in the unit to support nursing staff at the bedside and co-ordinate several courses in the unit, for both staff within PICU and those from outside the area or hospital new to PICU.

The PICU provides paediatric ECLS (Extra Corporeal Life Support)for all of Victoria and also provides ECLS for interstate patients.  The ECLS nurse co-ordinator's role is to support and educate staff as well as rco-ordinate a yearly ECLS course and the data/research collection on all ECLS cases cared for within PICU.

Clinical liaison nurses work with all unit and hospital staff to optimise the process of admission and discharge to and from PICU. Their role is to provide support and follow-up for all discharged patients and education and support to ward nursing staff accepting patients from the PICU. This role aims to decrease re-admission rates by enhancing patient care delivery on the wards.

The clinical technology team with four technologists and a technician, provide a support service in the form of supplying, maintaining and repairing specialist equipment, support to the ICU, NNU and RCH at large,  24 hours a day. They also offer assistance with provision of complex therapies such as high frequency ventilation (HFOV), nitric oxide, and renal support, and research. The Clinical Technologists supervise the purchase and maintence of equipment for patients who require home respiratory support, on behalf of the RCH Home and Community Care service.

Other support staff include ward clerks and patient service assistants.

We are a multidisciplinary team that provides support services to the children and their families. The team includes social workers, pharmacy, play therapy, music therapy, chaplains, psychology team, physiotherapy and occupational therapy.

Director of Intensive Care

Dr Tom Rozen
FRACP, FCICM 
email: thomas.rozen@rch.org.au

Nurse Unit Manager

Ash Doherty
Telephone: +61 3 9345 5705
email:  ash.doherty@rch.org.au