This reconstruction provided bed space for six patients in two double and two single rooms. At the same time, two sinkrooms, one at either end of the patient area, a kitchen and a clean utility room were made. A light spacious corridor houses sister's desk, the medical cupboard, refrigerator and other central cupboards. This corridor gives easy access to each room.

A resident anaesthetist is always available and a bed sitting room has been provided for his use.

The sitting room is used by all members of the staff for tea and coffee breaks and sister has a small office.

The nursing staff change from uniform into neat cotton dresses and theatre hats in a room just inside the entrance to the unit before starting a period on duty there.

Inside the ward there is air-conditioned ventilation. The patient areas are well lit with excellent shadow-free lighting. The beds are easily manipulated into different positions, especially the Stoke Mandeville bed, which is electrically operated and will turn patients from side to side. The patients have a bedside locker for personal property and toilet equipment. Other apparatus used for their care and observation is suspended from a stainless steel rail attached to the wall behind the head of the bed. This Swedish rail system keeps the equipment tidy and easily accessible, thus leaving shelf and floor space clear. Piped oxygen and suction apparatus is available at each bed.

Central sterile supply equipment is in use. A high standard of sterility and cleanliness is maintained by the regular changing and cleaning of suction and other equipment three times in the 24 hours at the termination of each shift.

The nursing staff consists of two sisters who supervise the unit by day, and night sister controls the work done at night. A varying number of staff nurses and student nurses forms the remainder of the team and work three separate shifts from 8 a.m.-4.30 p.m., 3.30 p.m.-1l.³⁰ p.m., and 10.30 p.in.-8.³⁰ a.m. One nurse remains with each patient and one nurse is available to collect equipment for these nurses and to assist them with the patients' care. Each room has its own internal telephone communication with every other part of the unit, so that assistance can be quickly summoned.

Patients are admitted to the unit from other hospitals, but most of them are transferred from our own general wards and theatres. Some patients visit the unit each day from the general wards for treatment with hyperbaric oxygen (chamber shown to the left in the photo above). Others visit the unit for haemodyalsis with the aid of the artificial kidney. These pieces of special equipment are kept in one of the double rooms. They are maintained and used by special technicians under the supervision of the medical staff and with the assistance of the nursing staff.

Interesting and valuable experience is being gained by our nurses with this highly specialised work.

Sonia Poulson.