Walrus Ward is on Level 1 of the Morgan Stanley Clinical Building (MSCB), part of the Mittal Children’s Medical Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).
Walrus Ward is an assessment and admissions unit for children with a wide range of heart and respiratory problems who need investigations and treatment.
Investigations include cardiac catheterisation, MRI scan, CT scan, bronchoscopy and other heart procedures which need sedation or a general anaesthetic.
Children having these procedures will have time to recover on Walrus Ward before being discharged home the same day.
Walrus Ward is also where children come for pre-assessment clinics before heart surgery or for follow-up after heart surgery.
Walrus Ward has six beds and will offer easy access to the ECHO and ECG department as well as the catheterisation and exercise laboratories, which are on the same floor.
Walrus Ward
Level 1, Morgan Stanley Clinical Building,
Great Ormond Street Hospital
Great Ormond Street
London
WC1N 3JH
Map
Walrus Ward telephone number: 020 7813 8347
For urgent enquiries outside of office hours please call the switchboard on 020 7405 9200 and ask for Bear Ward or dial extension 8829.
Staff on the ward
Walrus is primarily run by our highly qualified nursing team, which includes senior paediatric nurses and an advanced nurse practitioner who works in partnership with the cardiology doctors. There is also a clinicians’ assistant and a play specialist.
As GOSH prides itself on being a teaching hospital you will also meet both medical and nursing students on our ward.
Some of the key people you may meet on the ward include:
- Suzanne Cullen, Head of Nursing
- Lesley Black, Ward Sister
Conditions we treat
The special areas of expertise include the diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of cardiac problems including:
Ward information
The ward is open five days a week, Monday to Friday, from 7.30am to 7.30pm.
When you arrive, you will find the door to the ward is locked. This is for the safety of our patients. Please press the intercom system and a member of staff will let you in.
Your child will be with us for one day only, and because space is limited it is difficult for us to accommodate visitors.
Parents are, of course, very welcome but it would be helpful if you could ask family and friends not to visit and, where possible, make arrangements for any other siblings to be cared for elsewhere during your child’s day with us.
Bed allocation
We do our utmost to protect the privacy and dignity of your child at all times during their stay at GOSH.
Your child will be allocated a bed space according to their physical, psychological and social needs, taking into consideration the needs of other children and young people on the ward at that time.
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.
Ward facilities
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.
You are welcome to stay with your child all day. There is room by each bed on Walrus Ward for both parents to sit while their child has their assessment or treatment.
Although there is an area on the ward where members of staff can prepare drinks for your child, we would advise parents to visit The Lagoon one floor up from Walrus Ward.
There is also a hospital shop on Level 2, which sells refreshments and gifts. You are welcome to bring hot drinks onto the ward.
You can use your mobile phone inside the hospital but only in mobile-friendly zones. Using your mobile elsewhere could cause interference with our medical equipment.
Regulations on the ward
The following are not allowed on Walrus Ward:
- Latex balloons – due to potential allergic reactions.
If you or your child have been in recent contact with coughs, colds, tummy bugs, or infectious diseases like chicken pox or measles, please call the nursing team before you arrive. No child will be allowed in to the ward if they have chicken pox.
Last reviewed by Great Ormond Street Hospital: 24 April 2012
