Peter Pan Ward has 18 beds and is on Level 3 of the Southwood Building.
This is the ward for children having ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery. This includes cochlear implants, maxillofacial (jaw and facial) surgery, cleft lip and/or palate repair, dental surgery and plastic surgery.
The operations range from simple tonsillectomies to complex windpipe reconstruction.
Children of any age (including teenagers) stay on Peter Pan Ward, although the majority are under five years old.
Peter Pan Ward
Level 3, Southwood Building
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street
London
WC1N 3JH
Map Peter Pan Ward nurses' station: 020 7829 8825 (open 24 hours a day)
You can learn more about our clinical specialties by visiting:
Staff on the ward
Peter Pan Ward is run by our highly qualified nursing team, including clinical nurse specialists for tracheostomies, ENT surgery, cleft lip and palate, and plastics who all visit the ward.
Other members of the team include our play specialist, health care assistants, plus admissions and administration staff.
Doctors from all specialties make regular visits to the ward, as do psychologists, social workers and other clinical nurse specialists as needed.
Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) is also a teaching facility so you will see student nurses and doctors completing their training, but they will be supervised at all times by a qualified member of staff.
Some of the key members of staff you may meet on the ward include:
- Tracey Norris, Head of Nursing (Surgery)
- Nathan Askew, Lead Nurse (Surgery)
- Chantelle Clavier, Ward Sister
Conditions we treat
The special areas of expertise include:
- ENT surgery
- maxillofacial surgery
- cleft lip and/or palate repair
- plastic surgery
- cochlear implants
- nursing children with tracheostomies
- dental surgery
Ward information
Peter Pan Ward is in the Southwood Building, which is one of the oldest parts of the hospital, so space can be limited at times.
The ward is divided into two sides (C and D) but they are both run and staffed as one ward. For security reasons, the doors to both sides of the ward are kept locked. Please ring the bell and a member of staff will unlock the door.
Parents, brothers and sisters are welcome to visit at any time, but we would ask that you do not come as a big group as space is so restricted on the ward. Other visitors can visit between the hours of 10am and 8pm.
Meals are provided for children and teenagers who are patients on Peter Pan Ward. Lunch is between noon and 12.30pm and dinner is between 5pm and 5.30pm.
Bed allocation
The ward's 18 beds are arranged in two open-plan bays of four and five beds, a nursery holding three cots and six side rooms.
The side rooms are usually given to children who either have an infection or who have to be protected from infection. If the rooms are not needed for these children, we will try to give them to older patients so they can have some privacy and quiet.
All of the beds on the ward are child-size, so if your child needs an adult-size bed they may need to stay on another ward.
We do our utmost to protect the privacy and dignity of your child at all times during their stay at GOSH.
Please tell us if your child has a preference for being with other children of their own age and/or gender. We will try to meet this request where possible. But please remember that sometimes requests cannot be met.
Your child's safety will be our utmost priority at all times.
Facilities for parents
You are a valued member of your child's healthcare team and we encourage you to take part in their care as much as possible while in hospital.
We offer overnight accommodation for one parent, but because space is so limited on the ward it’s not always possible for you to sleep next to your child. In fact, sometimes there is no room on the ward itself.
There is parent accommodation available elsewhere in the hospital and the accommodation office will organise a room for you. You will need to give them a deposit for the room key.
Thursdays tend to be our busiest day so finding space for parents to stay on the ward is more difficult then.
There is a bathroom on the ward that can be used by children and their parents.
Food on the ward
Meals are not provided for parents but food and drink can be bought from various catering facilities within the hospital and local area. There is also the hospital shop, which sells refreshments and gifts.
We have a kitchen on the ward with a microwave and drinks facilities. Tea and coffee is available on the ward for parents.
You are welcome to store food in the ward fridge, but please make sure it is labelled with your child’s name and the date it was opened. This helps us to ensure that out-of-date food is thrown away.
Please do not enter the kitchen when the food trolley is there for health and safety reasons.
Phones on the ward
There is a telephone by each bed and you can make outgoing calls by swiping your credit, debit card or a GOSH phone card (available from the hospital shop).
You can also give the telephone number to family and friends so they can call you, but please ask them not to phone too late in the evening.
Mobile phones can only be used in the stairwell outside the ward. Using them elsewhere can interfere with our medical equipment.
Facilities for children
Peter Pan Ward has a well-equipped playroom open every day and evening for toys, activities and crafts.
The play specialists will supervise the playroom and activities but you are still responsible for watching your child, particularly when the play specialist is with another child.
If brothers and sisters are visiting, you are responsible for their behaviour at all times. We also ask that you tidy up after your child, especially during evenings, at weekends and during holiday periods.
If your child has to stay in bed or is in isolation, you are welcome to borrow toys, games and videos from the playroom but please return them when your child has finished with them.
The Centre and school
Children can also use the Centre on the ground floor of the Southwood Building, which has an outdoor area and a dedicated room (the Den) for teenagers.
The hospital school is located on the ground floor of the Southwood Building, next door to the Centre. Teachers also visit Peter Pan Ward.
Each bed has access to a television but we would ask that all televisions be switched off at 9pm in the ward areas where children are sleeping.
Peter Pan Ward is fully accessible to disabled children and holds relevant equipment, such as hoists and sliding boards. The ward has a disabled toilet and bathing facilities.
Regulations on the ward
The following are not allowed on Peter Pan Ward:
- Flowers – water in the vase can develop a bacterium that can cause infection in children.
- Latex balloons – due to potential allergic reactions.
If any of your visitors have been in recent contact with coughs, colds, tummy bugs, or infectious diseases like chicken pox or measles, we would prefer them to wait until they are better before visiting. No child will be allowed in to the ward if they have chicken pox.
