Seahorse Ward: Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)

The Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is also known as Seahorse Ward, has 17 beds and is for children and young people who are critically ill, and need intensive care. This can be because of deterioration due to an underlying condition, because of acute infection, or because they have required complex surgery.

We look after children from across the country, children from other countries, and children from inside Great Ormond Street.

We have a six cubicles, but most beds are on in the open ward. Cubicles used based on medical need - for example an infectious cause, or an immune deficiency.

Around 900 children a year are treated on PICU.

Paediatric Intensive Care Unit

Level 4, Variety Club Building

Great Ormond Street hospital, Great Ormond Street

London

WC1N 3JH

If your child has any additional needs, please call in advance to let us know.

PICU is led by a team of consultants (doctors), who specialise in intensive care of children.

Other staff who work on the ward include doctors, Advanced Clinical Practitioners, ward sisters, nurses, student nurses, ventilator technicians, physiotherapists, dieticians, pharmacists, housekeepers, family liaison nurses, play specialists, psychologists, social workers, chaplains, interpreters and volunteers.

PICU treats patients with a variety of different serious medical and surgical conditions that require intensive care support.

You can learn more about our clinical services by visiting:

• Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

GOSH is a smoke-free zone, which means that you cannot smoke anywhere inside hospital property and adjacent areas, such as entrances to hospital buildings.

We will not tolerate any kind of inappropriate or threatening behaviour – verbal, physical or psychological – and we have a policy to ensure that this is dealt with appropriately. We can and will remove people from GOSH in these circumstances.