Getting organised
If your stay is planned, it can help to think ahead about practical things like packing, travel and any arrangements you might need at home.
Support for Families
Preparing for Hospital Stays
Helping you feel ready for your stay in hospital
Coming into hospital for surgery or treatment can bring lots of different feelings — it’s completely normal to feel unsure, nervous or even overwhelmed. Whether it’s a planned admission or something more unexpected, knowing what to expect and taking a bit of time to prepare can really help.
Ward L51, the children’s heart ward at Leeds Children’s Hospitaly, is where many families will stay before and after surgery or treatment. The team are experienced, supportive and there to make sure you and your child feel as comfortable as possible throughout your stay.
There’s no ‘one right way’ to prepare – every family and every child is different. But a little planning ahead can help make things feel more manageable.
About Leeds Congenital Heart Unit
Around 420 babies, children and adults with CHD from Yorkshire, North East Lincolnshire and The Humber need open heart surgery every year. Around 17,000 are treated as outpatients.
Experts in identification, diagnosis and medical/ surgical treatment of congenital heart disease, arrhythmias and acquired heart disease, the Leeds Congenital Heart Unit provides fetal, child, teen and adult support services to a wide-reaching area.
The Unit also provides screening services to large numbers of children in our region to exclude cardiac problems.
Clinics run by the Unit provide non-invasive diagnostic investigations, including electrocardiography, 24-hour ECG tape monitoring and exercise testing together with a full range of radiography, haematology, biochemistry and microbiology services.
Plan your stay
Here are a few things that might help you feel more prepared…
Work and family
Letting your workplace, school or close family members know what’s happening can help take some pressure off and make sure you have support in place.
Financial planning
Hospital stays can sometimes bring extra costs like travel, parking or time off work. Planning ahead, where possible, can help ease some of this stress – and CHSF may be able to support with advice or guidance.
Looking after yourself
It’s okay to feel however you feel. Talking things through with someone you trust, or with the hospital or CHSF team, can help you feel more supported ahead of your stay.
Combatting stress on the Ward with L51 Play Team
The play team on the children’s heart ward at Leeds Children’s Hospital (L51) have some fantastic resources to help reduce anxiety on the ward for everybody.
Useful resources
Get the latest news, updates, and opinion from the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund Team
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