Leicester Royal Infirmary

This is one of the UK’s specialist children’s cancer and leukaemia treatment centres.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
Leicester Royal Infirmary
Infirmary Square
Leicester
LE1 5WW

Telephone: 0116 258 6189 (Patient Information Centre)
Website: http://www.uhl-tr.nhs.uk top of page

On the ground floor (known as Level 1) of the main reception, Balmoral building, you will find a cashpoint, a shop/newsagent, café, florist, pharmacy, and post box.  Payphones are located throughout the hospital.

There are various WRVS shops/cafes located around the hospital, where food and drinks may be purchased. There is a large canteen on Level 0 of the Balmoral building, which provides hot & cold meals, drinks and sandwiches. Next door to this is LeRoy’s Deli, selling snacks and drinks. Opening times vary. There is also a 24-hour vending machine.

There is a strictly no smoking policy in all the buildings, grounds and car parks. There are wall-ashtrays provided outside the perimeter entrances.

A Post Office can be found within five minutes walk, on Walnut Street. Across the main road from the Post Office are two general stores, one being a newsagent.

Within a 10 minute walk from the hospital along Aylestone Road, you will find Freeman’s Park. Here there is a large Morrison’s supermarket, a cinema, several pubs, a bingo hall and a restaurant. There is a large car park, which is free of charge.  Nelson Mandela Park, with children’s play area, is a two minute walk from the hospital.

Train: Leicester station is less than a mile away from the hospital.  Taxis are readily available (see below) or catch the Number 302 bus outside the station.  This runs every 30 mins.

Bus: The Hospital Shuttle Bus leaves from outside Leicester train station every 30 minutes from 7am -6.30pm Monday – Friday. Each journey costs £1. There are plenty of public buses leaving from the town centre: 25, 26, 38, 42, 43, 46, 47, 49, 84, 85. These leave from the Charles Street/Humberstone Gate area at various stops and run frequently. Please ask any driver to direct you.

Taxi: A taxi from the train station to the hospital will cost approximately £3 - £4.50. Taxis are always readily available.

Parking on site:  Please allow plenty of time for parking as queues for the car park can be long. The hospital would encourage anyone coming to the hospital to make alternative arrangements to travel or use an alternative car park. There is extremely limited street parking in Leicester.

The maximum daily charge for patients/carers is £5. Contact the Car Parking Office on 0116 258 5295 for details.  Oncology patients or their carers can get a letter from the ward which enables them to pay £10 per week for parking.  Ask a member of the ward staff or a CLIC Sargent care professional for details. 

Paediatric Oncology

General: Ward 27 – Pediatric Oncology.
 
Direct Tel:  0116 258 5959

No. of Beds: This is 6 bed ward with 3 cubicles. There is a day care room which has the same set up and consists of 6 beds. 

Age Range: 0-16. However, this is flexible and can sometimes go up to 18 years old.

Additional Information: The ward is centered on a family environment and has a ‘cosy’ feel to it.  There is a TV by each bed. Between the ages of 16 & 18, patients will usually be transferred to the Adult Oncology Ward.

Young Adult Oncology Service

General: Haematology Oncology East & West

No. of Beds: Haematology - 22 Oncology East & West - 37 in total

Age Range: 18+

Paediatric Oncology

Play: In the schoolroom during the evening, there is a plasma screen TV and a pool table for use by adolescents. The ward playroom caters for all ages and children can come and go as they please.  Individual play is also an option, if the child is too sick to move from the cubicle.  The aim is for there to be at least one play session per day. The play specialists on the ward also look at the development of the child and engage in developmental play. 

Learning: There is a hospital school that operates around normal school routine; however, this is flexible to incorporate the child’s condition at the time. The school will liaise with the child’s local school. If the child is in isolation, provisions can be made for work to be sent up to the cubicle.

Other Facilities: There is a ward operating theatre that carries out minor surgery on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All other surgery is carried out in the main theatre. 

Young Adult Oncology Service

Recreation: Dayroom

Multimedia: Limited availability via Teenage and Young Adult Services.  Those on Oncology East & West also have access to MP3 players which can be loaned from the ward.

Those on Oncology East & West also have access to 'Time for a Treat' - complementary therapy provided for inpatients by volunteers every Friday 10am - 12pm and 1pm - 3pm.

Paediatric Oncology

Meal Times: Breakfast consists of cereal and toast and is available when the child wakes up. This is also available to the parents. Lunch is generally around 12:30pm and consists of a meal delivered by trolley serving hot and cold food.  At 5:00pm there is tea served along the same principle. If the child is hungry during the day they are able to eat toast, cakes and crisps that are provided. There is also an Asian menu.  The dietician can give the child a £2 pass to use in the hospital canteen if they are well enough to go there.

Rounds: Two consultants carry out rounds in the morning generally. 

Visiting: Open visiting is in place, although after 8pm it is restricted to parents. 

Young Adult Oncology

Meal Times: 8.30am breakfast; 12pm lunch; 5.30pm evening meal. Hot drinks are provided during the day.

Rounds: Haematology - 3 medical staff each undertake 2 rounds per week.  Oncology East & West - 1 consultant round, doctors always available.

Visiting hours: Open visiting is in place but between 10am and 9pm is preferred.

On Paediatric Oncology there is a fold-away bed for one parent to spend the night next to the child.  There is a small parents’ room on the ward. There is a kitchen, with fridge and free tea and coffee available. Parents also have the use of shower facilities. Please discuss this with the ward staff.
 
Accommodation for parents is extremely limited and is not often available, especially at short notice. We are happy to help you with arrangements for bed and breakfast or a hotel, but any costs involved would need to be met by parents/family.  Alternatively, contact Western Challenge on 0116 2588681, who rent out furnished hospital trust accommodation (depending on availability) to patients/visitors on a short-term basis at a cost of approximately £20 per night. top of page

Children’s Social Work Team (includes the CLIC Sargent Team): Telephone:  0116 258 5182

Adult Social Work Team, LRI (generally for over 18’s): Telephone:  0116 258 5141

Macmillan Teenage and Young Person Clinical Nurse Specialist (Age Range 14-25 years): Telephone: 0116 258 6905

Outreach Support: Young People's Group (for 14-25 year olds) is held locally every month at 'Coping with Cancer'.  Details are available from the CLIC Sargent team or Macmillan staff.

There are many Cancer suppport services available outside the hospital - the CLIC Sargent team will be happy to assist you.

1 Young People's Activity and Support Worker
1 Social Worker
1 Youth Social Worker
1 Care Support Worker  top of page