Pager image for patient carer pager leaflet C24-33.pngAt RNOH we provide a pager for parents and carers when your child goes to theatre. This makes it easier to let you know when your child is waking up from their anaesthetic and you can return to the theatre recovery ward.

We use pagers so we can contact you straight away and reunite you with your child as soon as possible. Being able to contact you quickly allows us to spend more time with your child, and other children and families too.

  1. You accompany your child to the theatre department and stay until they are asleep (anaesthetised).
  2. Once your child is asleep a member of staff will take you to the recovery room to collect a pager and record your details.
  3. You are then free to rest, get something to eat or drink, go for a walk, or return to the children’s ward. You must keep the pager with you at all times.
  4. When your child’s procedure is finished and they have woken up, their recovery nurse will call you on the pager and ask you to make your way to the relevant theatre reception.
  5. You will hear a message that a call is coming and the recovery nurse will speak to you. You do not need to press any buttons to speak back. If you accidentally press the button you will hear a recorded message. This will not prevent the recovery team contacting you.
    Parent carer pager nurse child graphic 1 (C24-33).jpg
  6. When you come to the recovery room please ensure you return the pager to the recovery room nurse so that we can use it again to help other parents, carers and children.

When you come into the recovery room there may be other children there. We have minimal space and our priority is our patients so only one parent/carer per child will be allowed into the recovery room. Please ask if you have any concerns with this.

Your child may be crying or upset when you see them. They can be confused, hungry or disorientated but this is not unusual.

Your child will be attached to an observation monitor, and/or other treatment devices. They may have a drip, or wires may be attached. This can be daunting but they are enabling us to closely monitor your child.

There will be a specific nurse allocated to care for your child and their priority will be the safety of your child during their recovery stay. You may have questions but please wait to speak to the surgeon who can answer these.

When coming into the recovery room please be mindful of the privacy/dignity of the other children in theParent carer pager graphic parent child 2 (C24-33).jpg area. No use of cameras is allowed. You may be asked to leave at some point while visiting your child in the recovery room, but rest assured we will reunite you as soon as we are able.

QR code for Pt carer pager C24-33.pngScan the QR code here or on the back of the pager with your mobile phone camera. This will direct you to the RNOH website for directions and wayfinding videos to the relevant recovery room. Directions are also clearly signposted on the slope.

Ref: C24-33 © RNOH
Date of next review: September 2026

 

 

 

Printing of this document is only valid on the day printed, please refer to the website for most up to date information:

https://www.rnoh.nhs.uk/patients-and-visitors/patient-information-guides/parentcarer-pager-system

Page last updated: 12 November 2025