You will meet a lot of people on Butterfly Ward and this can be overwhelming at times. If you’re not sure who somebody is or what they do, please feel free to ask them.
Here is a summary of the people you are likely to meet:
Ward teams
When your baby is admitted to Butterfly they will be allocated to either the “A” or “B” team depending on the day of the week. This allows us to manage our resources evenly across all patients and their families. Your baby will receive the same high standard care regardless of the team they are “under”.
Nurses
The nursing team on Butterfly is a specialist group of nurses who are at the bedside with your baby 24 hours a day. A very important role of your bedside nurse is to help you to engage and interact with your baby based on how well or unwell your baby is at the time.
The nursing unit manager (NUM) oversees the management of the ward and is available during business hours. An associate unit manager (AUM) is the nurse in charge of the ward for the shift and is responsible for allocating beds, staff and managing any problems that may arise.
Our nurse practitioners have additional procedural skills and expertise which allow them to support both the junior doctors and bedside nurses.
Nurse coordinators help to streamline the care of children with complex needs involving multiple specialties, and those who might experience a long admission. They are a great point of contact between you and the rest of the team caring for your child.
Midwives provide additional care to new mothers who have recently given birth. They also offer extensive support to mothers who intend to breastfeed and, when you and your baby are ready, will support you both as you start to breastfeed.
Doctors
A team of doctors will manage your child’s medical care and will be responsible for all treatments and investigations.
Each patient will be under the care of a neonatal consultant (or neonatologist, a specialist in newborn intensive care). The consultant who is “on service” when your baby first arrives on Butterfly is known as the “bedcard consultant”. This person will support you through your baby’s stay in hospital and will meet you to discuss the overall progress of your baby’s care. If your baby requires our care after they are discharged from Butterfly, their bedcard consultant will see them in their outpatient clinic.
There are also a number of junior medical staff known as fellows (senior trainees) and registrars (junior trainees) on Butterfly. The Royal Children's Hospital (RCH) is a major paediatric teaching hospital and we are accredited with The Royal Australasian College of Physicians to provide specialist training to doctors wishing to become paediatricians or neonatologists. The ward is covered 24 hours a day by our team of junior doctors who provide continuity of care for the babies. They are often the first port of call for families who need a medical update on how their baby is doing.
Social work
Our social workers offer extra social support in order to make your family’s stay on Butterfly as easy as it can be. If you would like to talk with a social worker, please ask your baby’s nurse.
Social workers can offer you support in the following ways:
- Counselling
- Supporting families through times of crisis and distress
- Providing education and information
- Providing practical support to families including assistance in applying for Centrelink benefits, accommodation and other financial supports
- Advocacy
- Planning for returning home
- Referral to community agencies and supports
- Liaising with interstate, regional and other metropolitan hospitals
- Delivering group and support programs
- Facilitating access to the hospital.
Allied health professionals
A small team of allied health professionals – comprising a physiotherapist, an occupational therapist, two speech pathologists and a music therapist - regularly visit Butterfly and see babies for whom specific concerns around development are becoming apparent. These issues may relate to infants who have been in hospital for a long time and need therapy to promote normal movement and development; infants for whom there are oral feeding difficulties; or infants nearing discharge, where advice around fitting of car seats or application of splints is required.
Some babies will require follow-up after discharge by our outpatient Allied Health Team, which also includes neuropsychologists. Where issues are identified during one of these assessments, referral will be made to your local community-based supports for provision of any treatment that may be required.
Nutrition team and dietician
The medical team on Butterfly are supported by a specialist team of doctors, nurses and dieticians with a specific interest in nutrition. They will provide advice to us on how best to nourish your baby.
Pastoral and spiritual care
The RCH Pastoral and Spiritual Care team often visits families on Butterfly to provide emotional and spiritual support. Many families, both religious and non-religious, find this support very helpful. If you would like an infant baptism or naming ceremony for your baby, the Pastoral and Spiritual Care team can make arrangements for this to occur on the ward.
Infant mental health team
We recognise that admission to Butterfly can be incredibly stressful and this team are often called upon to provide support. They can help support your interactions with your baby and teach you about their developing personalities and emotional needs. Click here for more information about our infant mental health team.
Ward clerks
The ward clerk is stationed at the front of the ward and is often the first person you will meet. A ward clerk’s role is to provide direction and assist with any queries you may have.
Ward support assistants
Ward Service Assistants
Ward Service Assistants (WSA) assist nursing staff by providing indirect patient care. They help to maintain a welcoming and clean environment for patients, staff and visitors. We ask that you assist the WSAs by cleaning up after yourself in the parent lounge and ward pantry.
Volunteers
The RCH’s dedicated team of volunteers can support and assist Butterfly babies and their families by spending time with the babies or their siblings when parents need to focus their attention elsewhere. Please speak to our ward clerks or social workers if you would like a volunteer to visit and support you or your baby during your stay.
Other people you may meet on the ward
Butterfly staff work very closely with many other RCH teams to provide the best care for your baby. These teams include surgeons, general paediatricians and a range of other medical specialists.