The Adult Burns Centre, Wythenshawe Hospital
Our 12-bed burns unit is attached to the adult intensive care unit at MFT. We have two burns ICU rooms, two HDU rooms, four side-rooms and four ward beds. We also have a burns operating theatre within the centre, and the facility is staffed by experienced ICU and ward nurses, working alongside our dedicated burns therapy and nursing outreach teams.
The Children’s Burns Centre, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital
The Children’s Burns Centre opened in 2010 as part of the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital redevelopment and consists of four intensive care rooms, one isolation room, three side-rooms and a four-bed ward. We are located next to paediatric intensive care and work closely with the intensive care doctors to provide support for children with major burn injuries.
The centre is staffed by experienced burns nurses and is supported by a multidisciplinary team including dieticians, dedicated burns rehabilitation therapists, play specialists and psychologists. The team collaborates closely with social services, schools and family support workers to provide a patient-centred, coordinated discharge process for children affected by burn injuries.
Inpatient burn care
Care of patients with burn injuries can be complex and we work hard to support the medical, rehabilitation, psychological and social needs of all our patients. We also recognise that this time can be difficult for family and friends and our staff are trained to support families through the early surgical and later rehabilitation periods.
Burn care can involve repeated trips to the operating theatre to remove burnt skin and replace it, often with grafts of the patient’s own skin, and sometimes using other techniques. All recognised techniques used in the UK are available to the surgical teams at MFT, which are led by five consultant burns surgeons with specific training in the management of complex burn injuries.
Burns aftercare and outreach
On discharge from the burns centres at MFT, patients may still have significant dressings or bandages that need to be changed regularly. At the Children’s Burns Centre, our Burns and Plastics Aftercare Clinic is the single point of access for dressings and therapy after discharge. With play specialists, experienced nurses and dedicated therapists available, along with facilities for clean bathing and showering, this is the ideal place for changes of dressings.
On discharge from the Adult Burns Centre, may patients will have dressings performed in or near to their own home by the community district nursing teams. For complex cases, our dedicated burns outreach team will liaise with the district nurses for advice or assistance, and depending on need can visit patients at home. We also operated a burns outpatient clinic and scar management clinic at both sites for long term care of the scars that can result from a burn injury.
Referrals
Patients are referred into the burns service from A&E departments, GPs or the emergency services. If a patient is not already under our care but have problems due to an old burn injury, GPs are welcome to make a referral to us for an outpatient appointment.