The Hospitals
The main hospital in Oxford is the John Radcliffe (JR) Hospital, located in the Headington area three miles from the city centre. It has over 700 inpatient beds and houses many research departments of Oxford University, Oxford University Medical School and Oxford Brookes School of Health Care. It is one of the four hospital sites that make up Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust:
- John Radcliffe Hospital: emergency medicine, acute general medicine, acute surgery, trauma, cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, maxillofacial surgery, plastic surgery, ENT, ophthalmology, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, stroke services, intensive care (neuro-, cardiac, adult and paediatric).
- Churchill Hospital: cancer services, haematology, elective specialist surgery (colorectal, vascular, upper GI, transplant, urology), dermatology, infectious diseases, respiratory medicine, endocrinology, intensive care.
- Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre: Elective orthopaedics, rheumatology, rehabilitation medicine, bone infection unit.
- Horton General Hospital: a smaller district hospital in Banbury, with 230 beds
Trainees at HST level rotate through both John Radcliffe and Horton's Emergency Departments whilst placed in Oxford: experience of working in a busy major trauma centre with extensive access to medical and surgical specialists, whilst also spending some shifts in a smaller unit to retain fluency in hands on procedures and autonomy over patient care.
The Emergency Department
The Emergency Department at the John Radcliffe Hospital entered the new premises in January 2004. About 92,000 people attend the emergency department annually and around a quarter of those are children. Incorporated into the department is a dedicated Children's Emergency Department, staffed by a mixture of acute paediatricians and emergency physicians. The radiology department (with two CT scanners), Emergency Admission Unit, Emergency Theatres, Coronary Care and Intensive Care Units are all located immediately adjacent to the department.
The department currently (2014) has 15 Consultants who split their time between the JR and either Banbury, Prehospital care, Intensive Care or Academia. Consultants are present on the ‘shop floor’ from 8am to midnight. Registrars in the department have the opportunity to participate in research, teaching (medical students or SHOs), management or prehospital care during their SPA time (paid, one day a fortnight).
As the Major Trauma Centre for Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, the JR rotation provides a unique opportunity for Registrars to experience both major trauma and pre-hospital care.
Rapid Assessment and Triage
Three cubicles are dedicated to rapid triage of ambulance patients. This allows ambulance crews to rapidly handover patients and get back on the road, minimising ambulance queues. In these cubicles, patients are cannulated, bloods taken, vital signs recorded, analgesia provided, ECG performed and radiology requested, all under the direction of either an experience nurse or the Consultant.
Resuscitation Room
The resuscitation room has four trolley spaces including one for paediatric patients. All are equipped with state-of-the art monitoring, overhead theatre lighting and an overhead X-ray gantry. Ventilators are in the form of portable Oxylogs.
Majors - beds
There are 16 beds in majors for patients who cannot sit in the majors chairs and/or need monitoring.
Majors - chairs
There are a number of comfortable chairs for patients who are able to sit and do not require constant monitoring. From these chairs, patients can await results and receive infusions. Three cubicles are available for when the patient is being consulted. Use of the chairs has significantly increased the ‘majors’ capacity of the department.
Ambulatory care
The ambulatory side has 8 cubicles, a plaster room and an eye room (with a slit lamp). Emergency Nurse Practitioners also work in this area, providing a service for 15 hours each day.
Paediatric Emergency Department
There are 7 beds in this dedicated section of the department, with its own separate waiting area. The department is staffed by paediatric trained nurses. In day-time hours, medical patients are seen directly by paediatricians whilst all others are seen by the Emergency Department staff. At night, the Emergency Department sees all paediatric patients.
Emergency Admision Unit
This is a 27 bed ward based next to the Emergency Department and shared with the General Medical team. It accommodates acute medical patients (coming in from either the Emergency Department or directly from the community) and a selection of emergency patients (usually patients awaiting psychiatric input, awaiting transport or awaiting a few select scans).
The main hospital in Oxford is the John Radcliffe (JR) Hospital, located in the Headington area three miles from the city centre. It has over 700 inpatient beds and houses many research departments of Oxford University, Oxford University Medical School and Oxford Brookes School of Health Care. It is one of the four hospital sites that make up Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust:
- John Radcliffe Hospital: emergency medicine, acute general medicine, acute surgery, trauma, cardiothoracic surgery, neurosurgery, maxillofacial surgery, plastic surgery, ENT, ophthalmology, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, stroke services, intensive care (neuro-, cardiac, adult and paediatric).
- Churchill Hospital: cancer services, haematology, elective specialist surgery (colorectal, vascular, upper GI, transplant, urology), dermatology, infectious diseases, respiratory medicine, endocrinology, intensive care.
- Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre: Elective orthopaedics, rheumatology, rehabilitation medicine, bone infection unit.
- Horton General Hospital: a smaller district hospital in Banbury, with 230 beds
Trainees at HST level rotate through both John Radcliffe and Horton's Emergency Departments whilst placed in Oxford: experience of working in a busy major trauma centre with extensive access to medical and surgical specialists, whilst also spending some shifts in a smaller unit to retain fluency in hands on procedures and autonomy over patient care.
The Emergency Department
The Emergency Department at the John Radcliffe Hospital entered the new premises in January 2004. About 92,000 people attend the emergency department annually and around a quarter of those are children. Incorporated into the department is a dedicated Children's Emergency Department, staffed by a mixture of acute paediatricians and emergency physicians. The radiology department (with two CT scanners), Emergency Admission Unit, Emergency Theatres, Coronary Care and Intensive Care Units are all located immediately adjacent to the department.
The department currently (2014) has 15 Consultants who split their time between the JR and either Banbury, Prehospital care, Intensive Care or Academia. Consultants are present on the ‘shop floor’ from 8am to midnight. Registrars in the department have the opportunity to participate in research, teaching (medical students or SHOs), management or prehospital care during their SPA time (paid, one day a fortnight).
As the Major Trauma Centre for Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Berkshire, the JR rotation provides a unique opportunity for Registrars to experience both major trauma and pre-hospital care.
Rapid Assessment and Triage
Three cubicles are dedicated to rapid triage of ambulance patients. This allows ambulance crews to rapidly handover patients and get back on the road, minimising ambulance queues. In these cubicles, patients are cannulated, bloods taken, vital signs recorded, analgesia provided, ECG performed and radiology requested, all under the direction of either an experience nurse or the Consultant.
Resuscitation Room
The resuscitation room has four trolley spaces including one for paediatric patients. All are equipped with state-of-the art monitoring, overhead theatre lighting and an overhead X-ray gantry. Ventilators are in the form of portable Oxylogs.
Majors - beds
There are 16 beds in majors for patients who cannot sit in the majors chairs and/or need monitoring.
Majors - chairs
There are a number of comfortable chairs for patients who are able to sit and do not require constant monitoring. From these chairs, patients can await results and receive infusions. Three cubicles are available for when the patient is being consulted. Use of the chairs has significantly increased the ‘majors’ capacity of the department.
Ambulatory care
The ambulatory side has 8 cubicles, a plaster room and an eye room (with a slit lamp). Emergency Nurse Practitioners also work in this area, providing a service for 15 hours each day.
Paediatric Emergency Department
There are 7 beds in this dedicated section of the department, with its own separate waiting area. The department is staffed by paediatric trained nurses. In day-time hours, medical patients are seen directly by paediatricians whilst all others are seen by the Emergency Department staff. At night, the Emergency Department sees all paediatric patients.
Emergency Admision Unit
This is a 27 bed ward based next to the Emergency Department and shared with the General Medical team. It accommodates acute medical patients (coming in from either the Emergency Department or directly from the community) and a selection of emergency patients (usually patients awaiting psychiatric input, awaiting transport or awaiting a few select scans).