A hospital unit equipped and staffed to nurse patients who require a high level of technically supported care. Patients are usually moved to such units when they have made satisfactory progress in an intensive therapy unit (ITU) and do not require the one-to-one nursing this provides. Patients who have undergone major surgery are often transferred from the recovery ward to a high dependency unit until they are well enough to be cared for in a standard ward.
A high-dependency unit, also referred to as a “step-down” facility, offers a level of inpatient care in hospitals that falls between general ward care and intensive care unit services. In these units, staff monitor and support severely ill patients. Additionally, they have capabilities for short-term ventilation (using a machine to aid in breathing) and emergency resuscitation.