Milton Keynes Intensive Care Unit
College Tutors
Dr Joy Halliday (Joy.Halliday@mkuh.nhs.uk)
Milton Keynes University Hospital Department of Critical Care (DoCC) is a 9 bed High Dependency and Intensive Care Unit with capacity for seven level 3 patients. It is a mixed medical (approx 60%) and surgical unit with a bed occupancy rate of 80-90% and cares for over 400 patients per year.
The unit is staffed by 10 consultants:
- Dr Richard Stewart - DoCC Clinical Lead, ICM & Anaesthetics
- Dr Malli Bharamgoudar – ICM & Anaesthetics
- Dr Andrew Cooney - ICM & Anaesthetics
- Dr Lotta Niska - ICM & Anaesthetics
- Dr Nikolaos Makris - ICM & Anaesthetics
- Dr Caroline Walker - ICM & Anaesthetics
- Dr Joy Halliday - ICM & Acute Medicine
- Dr Arup Chakraborty - ICM & Acute Medicine (occasional anaesthetist)
- Dr Rukinder Birk - ICM & Anaesthetics
- Dr Jamie Strachan - ICM and Anaesthetics
- Our Advanced Nurse Practitioner is Jane Adderley, and Matron is Sarah Robinson.
- The consultant microbiologists attend the DoCC on a daily basis, and we have very close links with our radiologists. The DoCC is very well supported with allied health professionals including physiotherapists, a dedicated pharmacist and dietician.
The unit is staffed by a combination of at least one senior and one junior trainee during the day and one senior trainee overnight.
The junior rota involved at least four trainees (mix of ACCS, ICM, CMT, ED and FY trainees) working 1:4 long days. The senior tier rota involved at least eight trainees (mix of anaesthetics and ICM) either dedicated to ICM or covering ICM and theatres, and working 1:8 long days and nights.
Six weeks notice for annual and study leave is required via CLW.
Dr Caroline Walker currently coordinates the junior tier rota: Caroline.Walker@mkuh.nhs.uk
Dr Amit Kalla the senior tier rota: amit.kalla@mkuh.nhs.uk and Dr Navreet Ghuman, CLW: navreet.ghuman@mkuh.nhs.uk
There are great opportunities for ICM trainees on the unit in Milton Keynes, these include:
Echocardiography (FICE)
The unit has a Phillips Sparq echo machine with TTE & TOE probes. We have 5 ICU consultants who are FICE accrediated and 3 FICE mentors providing ample opportunity to complete FICE accreditation on the unit.
Percutaneous Tracheostomy
The majority of consultants are competent in and teach percutaneous tracheostomy insertion. We regularly perform this procedure either on the unit or in theatre and are well supported by our ENT colleagues to provide this service.
Research
The department has an active research portfolio and contributes to many national and international trials including recently A-STOP, STAART-AKI, BREATHE.
Post critical care rehabilitation clinic
A critical care follow-up clinic is held every two weeks to provide physiological and psychological assessment and support for patients approximately three months after their critical care stay. Trainees are very welcome to attend this clinic.
Simulation
The trust has an active simulation programme with regular simulation suite and point-of-care sessions being held. There are extensive opportunities for trainees to be involved in the delivery of both post-graduate and under-graduate education.
The Hospital and Medical School
Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is a University Teaching Hospital. We achieved university status in April 2015 which reflects the huge expansion of teaching taking place, most prominently in its partnership with the University of Buckingham. This exciting new phase has included enhanced research facilities and a brand new on-site Academic Centre.
We are a medium sized hospital, serving Milton Keynes and surrounding areas. The hospital has approximately 450 inpatient beds, and provides a broad range of general medical, surgical and Women’s and Children’s services. We have a busy A&E department that manages all medical, surgical and child health emergencies seeing 80,000 patients a year. The Trauma Unit is a registered Level 2 Unit and the department deals with all emergencies. As our local population grows (current catchment is 300,000), we continue to develop our facilities. In addition to providing general acute services, Milton Keynes University Hospital increasingly provides more specialist services such as cancer care and complex cardiology.
The hospital is situated in a very rapidly growing city in the beautiful Buckinghamshire countryside.The city lies midway between Northampton and Aylesbury and is traversed by the M1. It is on the West Coast Mainline (fast train to Euston currently 30 minutes).The city provides a wide variety of housing, excellent schools and also various shopping and entertainment facilities.The city itself has a theatre district, an indoor ski slope, an entertainment hub, and other modern facilities. Beyond the city, villages and smaller communities are close by. Many trainees join us from HETV rotations so live closer towards Oxford and in towns such as Aylesbury, Bicester and Thame.