Intensive care handbook

In intensive care your child receives intensive nursing care and monitoring. It's the best place for very sick children.

Intensive care is the section of the hospital that provides sick children with the highest level of medical care.

In intensive care kids are monitored very closely. This includes their heart rate, breathing, blood pressure and medication delivery.

Medical staff also provide therapies that might not be available in other parts of the hospital. These can include ventilators (breathing machines) and medicines that are used only under close medical supervision.

It's stressful whenever kids are in the hospital, and even more so when they are intensive care. Understanding the people, equipment, and processes we use can help you feel better prepared to help your child.

Our services

The Children’s Hospital at Westmead

At The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, our intensive care service is referred to as the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).

The PICU can accommodate up to 27 patients including infants, children and adolescents from NSW, South Australia and New Caledonia.

Sydney Children’s Hospital Randwick

At Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick, our intensive care service is referred to as the Children's Intensive Care Unit (CICU).

The CICU is equipped to care for a wide variety of medical and surgical conditions and can accommodate up to 21 patients, from newborns up to 18 years of age.