Neurosciences - Welcome to the Brooke Treatment Unit (BTU)

The Brooke Treatment Unit (BTU) is a specialist outpatient unit providing care for patients requiring infusions, treatments, and procedures for a range of medical conditions.

About the Unit

BTU is a 19 chair unit, divided across two areas:

• BTU 1 – 14 chairs
• BTU 2 – up to 5 chairs

BTU 2 is shared with Renal and Immunology services.

We care for both male and female patients with a variety of conditions, including:

• Multiple Sclerosis
• Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)
• Myasthenia Gravis
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Motor Neuron Disease (MND)
• Encephalitis
• Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
• Brittle Asthma
• Fabry Disease
• Pompe Disease
• Batten’s Disease
• Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS)
• Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)
• Patients requiring pre-surgery iron infusions

Facilities

BTU 1 also includes four side rooms, consisting of:

• 2 Examination Rooms
• 2 Treatment Rooms

These are used for procedures such as:

• Lumbar punctures
• Occipital nerve blocks
• Muscle biopsies

They may also be used to provide privacy for patients undergoing more invasive treatments.

Attending your appointment

Children on the Unit

Children are not permitted on BTU due to safeguarding requirements.

If you attend with a child, you may be asked to rebook unless a responsible adult is available to supervise them in the waiting area.

Visitors and Carers

• Patients may bring one registered carer if they provide direct support during treatment
• Patients with additional needs may have a relative or nominated carer present if required
• Carers and relatives are not permitted to sit within the direct treatment area, for safety purposes. They are permitted to sit in front of the patient, as space allows

Ward Manager

The Ward Manager for BTU is Nadine Caruana.

• Available: Monday - Friday, 7am - 5pm
• If you wish to speak with the Ward Manager, please speak to a member of staff to arrange an appointment

Contact Details

BTU Main Reception - 0161 206 4890

Available Monday to Friday, 7.30am - 3.30pm (For non-renal and immunology patients)

Neurology - 0161 206 5847
Salford Health Care - 0161 206 5688
Renal/Immunology - 0161 206 4585

Please note BTU is closed evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

Recommendations for your visit

• Please bring personal belongings at your own risk (e.g. phones, tablets, laptops)
• We do not have facilities to heat food
• As this is an outpatient Unit, meals are not provided
• If you have a long appointment, please bring snacks with you
• We provide cold refreshments and biscuits on the Unit

Infection Prevention and Control

As we treat patients who are immunosuppressed:

• If you feel unwell before your appointment, please contact the Unit to reschedule
• Ensure you seek relevant care, either via your GP/Specialist Teams or your local A&E, not via BTU
• If you attend while unwell, you may not be able to receive treatment

This is to protect both patients and staff.

Appointments

• Please arrive on time for your appointment
• There may be a queue for parking, so please allow plenty of time
• A grace period of up to 30 minutes may be allowed at the discretion of the Nurse in Charge
• Patients who arrive late may need to be rescheduled, depending on unit capacity and clinical activity
• Please ensure you have booked your next appointment prior to leaving the Unit

Keeping everyone safe

We have a duty to provide a safe and secure environment for everyone.

We will do this through kindness and respect.

We ask for the same from our patients and visitors.

We will not tolerate violent or abusive behaviour, verbally or otherwise. We will take action to protect our staff, patients, and visitors.

Patient Experience and Feedback

We are committed to providing a high standard of care in a safe and supportive environment. Your feedback is important to us and helps us to improve our service.

If you would like to share your experience, you can:

• Speak directly to a member of the BTU team at any time
• Ask to speak with the Ward Manager
• Complete a patient feedback form

Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)

If you have concerns, compliments, or would like support with resolving an issue, you can contact the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS).

PALS provides confidential advice and support to patients, families and carers.

Contact details

Telephone: 0161 206 6266

Email: PALS@nca.nhs.uk

You can also ask a member of staff to help you contact PALS.