Clinics and wards related to the Specialist Neonatal and Paediatric Surgery (SNAPS) department

The Specialist Neonatal and Paediatric Surgery department works closely with a number of wards throughout Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

Squirrel Ward is a 22-bedded ward with an eight-bedded High Dependency Unit (HDU). It is located on Level 5 of the Variety Club Building (VCB).

This is a general and urology surgical ward with patients ranging in age from neonates to adolescents. The operations carried out range from short-stay procedures to complex bowel operations.

Patients are admitted to the ward as a booked admission, as discharges from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) or Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), or as emergency referrals.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is for newborn babies requiring intensive medical and nursing care.

It is located on Level 4 of the Variety Club Building (VCB). Babies with certain congenital (present at birth) conditions will be admitted to NICU immediately after birth and monitored closely until well enough to have surgery.

Babies may also come to NICU after surgery, especially if extra help is needed with breathing and feeding.

Puffin Ward is part of the Theatre procedure floor and is on Level 3 of the Southwood Building.

This is a ward where children come before having an operation. The ward has 16 cubicles and a playroom. Each child will be allocated their own cubicle when they are admitted. There are lots of toys and games for children to play with while they are waiting to go to the operating theatre.

After their operation, children are taken back to another ward for on-going nursing care.

Woodpecker Unit is on Level 3 of the Variety Club Building and is the post-anaesthetic care unit.

For planned admissions, we carry out pre-admission clinics on Puffin Ward. This is an outpatient appointment where you will be able to discuss your child’s planned operation, test or procedure with the team before coming in to hospital for your admission.

Your child will also have various tests and investigations carried out during this appointment. This avoids any delays on the day of the operation, test or procedure. Please be prepared to stay two to three hours.

The appointment is also useful if your child is apprehensive about any aspect of the hospital stay, our play specialists can help prepare your child, as can other members of the team.

We can also start to make plans for after the operation, for instance, if you need any equipment or supplies, these can be arranged beforehand.

These are held regularly in the Outpatient departments in the Variety Club Building and the Royal London Hospital for Integrated Medicine.