The Children's Assessment Unit (CAU) is based on the 6th floor of the Fothergill building at Good Hope Hospital. It is a short stay ward for children aged 0 – 16 years who require further assessment or treatment. The service runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Children can be referred to CAU through the following routes:
- from Emergency Departments (EDs)
- direct referral from GPs
- direct referral from the United Paediatric Advice and Guidance Service (UPAGS)
- direct referral from other allied health professionals
What to expect during your visit
On arrival to the unit, a nurse will aim to carry out an initial assessment within 15 minutes of arrival. At times this may be difficult due to high demand. Patients are seen in order of clinical priority which can often mean they are not seen in order of arrival.
Each child is triaged by a nurse and will be reviewed by a doctor in accordance with their medical needs. Once seen by a doctor, they may be discharged home or require further observations/investigations within the assessment unit.
Patients who require admission
Sometimes the doctor may decide that a child requires admission to the ward. This might be a longer length of stay on CAU or on the inpatient ward at Heartlands Hospital.
If a longer stay is needed, the child may be transferred to Ward 15/16, which is the paediatric inpatient ward at Heartlands Hospital.
Patients who require specialist high dependency support will be offered additional monitoring in the HDU bed on CAU. This is a short stay bed, and the team will inform parents if their child needs to be transferred to Heartlands hospital for ongoing HDU care where there are additional facilities.
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust is a teaching hospital, so student nurses and doctors may help provide care as part of their training. CAU is a learner-led ward environment and therefore you will see a greater number of student nurses.
Across all our ward areas, we work with our colleagues in the play team and catering to make your child’s stay as comfortable as possible. Please ask if you need assistance with play activities or nutrition and hydration while you are with us and ask to see the children’s menu for patient catering information.
Patients on discharge
CAU is a busy unit that cares for children 24 hours a day. When treatment is complete and your child is assessed as safe to go home, you will be discharged. This does mean this may happen at anytime of the day or night.
A discharge letter will be given, which explains:
- why the child came to hospital
- what treatment was given
- a plan for further treatment at home if required
If you wish to discuss any aspect of your child’s care please ask to speak to the ward manager, on-call senior nurse or consultant on duty.
Last reviewed: 21 September 2026