Oak Ward Day Unit is situated within the Paediatric Unit in the Duchess of Kent Wing of St. Peter’s Hospital.

This twelve bedded day Unit is open Monday-Friday for day surgery, skin tests, food and allergy testing and a variety of investigations for children aged 0-15.  This includes many endocrine, growth hormone tests, vaccinations and blood and other transfusions. 

The team of friendly paediatric nurses is led by Sisters Della Emery who works closely with Surgeons and Consultants from the Surgical and Orthopaedic teams as well as colleagues in the Paediatric medical team.

Procedures such as tonsillectomy, grommets, adenoidectomy, circumcision, orthopaedic manipulation and dental extractions are some of the day surgery undertaken on the Unit.

When you have been given an appointment for your operation the Hospital Play Services Co-ordinator will send you an invitation to visit the ward on a Saturday so that you and your family or carer can have a tour and a chat and know what will happen on the day.

What can I expect if I am coming in for an operation?

Children scheduled for a morning operation will arrive at about 7.30 a.m. The Consultant or a member of their team will come and explain what will happen and the Anaesthetist will also visit.

If your operation is scheduled for the afternoon you will probably have been allowed to have a light breakfast and the tea-time trolley will be offered to you after your operation.

You can play in the playroom or outside until it is time to go to theatre. The Thomas the Tank Engine trolley will come to collect you and Mum, Dad or Carer can accompany you to theatre. Once you are asleep and ready to have your operation they can either return to the ward to wait, or visit the League of Friends cafeteria situated on the ground floor. When the operation is over and you are ready to come back to the ward one of the nursing team will bring your relative/carer to the recovery area to collect you.

You can wear your own clean nightwear to go to theatre in, or clean sheets and a T shirt.

Older children should remove any nail varnish before coming to the Unit and any piercing which can be removed should be. If they cannot be taken out they will be taped over before you go to theatre.  This is to make sure that infection control guidelines are followed and is for your safety.

After your operation you will wake up in the Recovery Room where the paediatric recovery nurse will take care of you until it is time for you to be taken back to the ward. Your parents/carer can come and see you in the Recovery Room once you are awake, and when you are ready to come back to the ward one of the nursing team and a porter will come and collect you.

When you are back on the ward, if you would like to have some lunch, a trolley will be brought round with the daily choices or one of the nurses will make you some toast if you prefer  When you are rested and ready you will be discharged and will be able to go home.

Contact Oak Day Ward Unit on 01932 722016 or email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or Matron for Paediatrics Dagmar Gohil on 01932 872000 bleep 8-273, email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .