Tag: Royal Hospital for Children and Young People

Scottish Government launches Young Patients Family Fund

£5 million to help families be there for children in hospital

A new fund has been launched to help families with the costs of visiting and providing essential care for their children in hospital.

The Young Patients Family Fund will support the parents and siblings of young inpatients by covering expenses for travel, food and overnight accommodation where necessary.

Initial investment of £5 million has been set aside for the fund, although actual spend will depend on demand.

Public Health Minister Maree Todd launched the fund at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh, where she met with Deborah Robertson whose 10-year-old son Zak is an inpatient receiving treatment for Cystic Fibrosis.

Ms Todd said: “When a hospital stay is necessary, families want to focus on the health and wellbeing of their child, without the worry of the financial costs around being there for them.

“This fund will provide support when it is most needed, and is an extension of our Neonatal Expenses Fund, which covers costs for the parents of sick or premature newborn babies.

“The Young Patients Family Fund extends the support to cover the families of all inpatients from birth up to the age of 18.”

Associate Director of Policy, Influencing and Voice at the charity Young Lives vs Cancer Helen Gravestock said: “When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the whole family’s world turns upside down.

“Parents often have to stop working, children can be taken out of school and suddenly they have to travel miles for life-saving treatment. The last thing they should be worrying about is how to afford the petrol to be by their child’s bedside.

“On average, families spend an extra £600 every month while their child is having cancer treatment.

“The Young Patients Family Fund will be very much welcomed by children and young people with cancer and their families. Young Lives vs Cancer looks forward to working with colleagues in Scotland to ensure that all eligible families can benefit from it.”

NHS Lothian’s Service Director for Women’s and Children’s Services Allister Short, said: “When a child or young person requires a stay in hospital, it can be a really challenging time for them and their family, and anything that helps to reduce this stress is a really welcome step.

“This new fund really will make a big difference for families not just here in Lothian, but across Scotland.”

Bliss Scotland Chief Executive, Caroline Lee-Davey, said:  “This new fund will now mean that parents of premature and sick babies who need hospital care once their neonatal treatment is over will continue to be supported throughout their hospital journey.

“We will continue to work with the Scottish Government to ensure the Fund meets the needs of families and will keep campaigning for the other UK nations to introduce similar support for families with a baby in neonatal care.” 

Cutting Edge: Laser Epilepsy Surgery to be brought to Scotland

·        This is the first time MRI-guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) will be available in Scotland 

·        The surgery is currently only available at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London or in Houston, Texas 

·        The current surgery choice in Edinburgh is open brain surgery, which is around seven hours and leaves an ear to ear scar. LITT will reduce this to two hours and is much less invasive 

·        Children and young people who will be referred for this surgery have refractory (medication resistant) epilepsy and can have up to 100 ‘drop down’ seizures a day 

·        In appropriately selected cases, LITT surgery can stop seizures entirely and cure the child’s epilepsy 

Children and young people living with severe epilepsy in Scotland will have the life-changing chance to be seizure free, thanks to the funding of a world class laser coming to Edinburgh’s new children’s hospital.  

A partnership between the Welch Trust, Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) and NHS Lothian is bringing MRI-guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (LITT) for Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) – the first time this laser technology will be available in Scotland.  

LITT is a new and proven, minimally invasive treatment which uses a laser to remove brain tissue that is causing seizures. Children and young people who will be referred for laser surgery are diagnosed with refractory (medication resistant) epilepsy; they may experience severe and frequent ‘drop down’ seizures, up to 100 in one day. In appropriately selected cases, laser surgery can stop seizures entirely and cure the child’s epilepsy.  

LITT surgery treatment is currently only available at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and in Houston, Texas. The laser equipment will be part of the Scottish National Paediatric Epilepsy Surgery Service, based at the RHCYP in Edinburgh, meaning children will come to the capital from all over Scotland to have the surgery. 

The current surgery choice practiced in Edinburgh is open brain surgery, which lasts around seven hours, has a longer recovery time and results in a scar across the top of the child’s head.

The LITT precision technology will reduce this surgery time to around two hours, is much less invasive and has a shorter recovery time. It is expected that up to six children a year could benefit from the laser surgery, aged from infants to adolescents, with a similar number of adults also benefitting annually. 

Following a request from the National Epilepsy Surgery Service to ECHC to support this initiative, the charity identified the Welch Trust as the ideal funder and agreed a partnership to make this project a reality. 

Victoria Welch, Trustee of the Welch Trust, said: “We are very proud to be able to gift this LITT technology to the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People. As a Paediatric Nurse, I understand the importance of having the best equipment in the hospital to expedite the curing of patients with complicated conditions and ultimately save lives.  

“When we were made aware of this need, we didn’t have to think too long about it. Our focus continues to be to invest in high impact programmes that save lives or significantly improve the quality of life for very sick or terminally ill children. We look forward to continuing our partnership with the Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity and expanding our support across other areas of critical care.”  

Roslyn Neely, CEO of Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “With the new children’s hospital now open, we are thrilled to have partnered with the Welch Trust to bring the world-class LITT equipment to Scotland for the first time.    

“It is always very satisfying for us to be able to join with another funder who have a similar desire to support the hospital with projects that will transform children’s health. 

“Having the laser surgery available in Edinburgh gives families more choice in their place of care and means they will no longer need to endure the financial and emotional cost of national or international travel and separation at a very stressful time. It will also place Edinburgh and NHS Lothian on the map as a world-leading provider of epilepsy surgery and treatment.” 

Dr Edward Doyle, Associate Medical Director, Women and Children’s Services, NHS Lothian said: “Across NHS Lothian, we continually look at new and emerging technology and treatments to see how they could benefit our patients.

“We are delighted that through the support of both the Welch Trust and Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, we will be the first in Scotland and only the second location in the whole of the UK to offer LITT surgery. 

“Severe epilepsy can be very difficult to live with and puts an enormous strain on families. Having a world-class cutting edge treatment option available here in Lothian, which is both less invasive and which reduces recovery time, will make a huge difference to lives of children and their families across Scotland.

“This treatment really does have the potential to transform lives and our teams at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People are delighted that they will soon be able to offer it as a treatment option.”

The new laser equipment is compatible with the intra-operative MRI suite at the RHCYP. It is expected to arrive in summer 2021, followed by a period of intensive training prior to the first surgery taking place. 

Lord Brodie visits site of former Edinburgh Sick Kids hospital

Lord Brodie, Chair of the Scottish Hospitals Inquiry, visited the now vacant Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh last week as part of the Inquiry’s information gathering work.

Visiting the site of the hospital more commonly known as the Sick Kids, at Sciennes, Lord Brodie met with NHS Lothian staff and was given a COVID-19 compliant tour of the wards.

This included the haematology and oncology department, paediatric intensive care unit, surgical and critical care wards and A&E. Lord Brodie also visited ‘PJ’s Loft’ to see the facilities that were available to families accompanying their children during hospital stays.

The independent Inquiry is investigating the delayed opening of the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and Department of Clinical Neurosciences (RHCYP/DCN) at Little France. As part of its work, the Inquiry wishes to establish what impact the delay had on patient care and treatment.

Public hearings are scheduled to take place from 20 September and will focus on the experiences of patients and families and how they were affected by issues at the Edinburgh hospital, as well as the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus in Glasgow.

A remote procedural hearing is planned for 22 June where Lord Brodie will set out details of how the autumn hearings will operate.

Lord Brodie said: “This visit was important to give context to how the hospital and its staff dealt with the delayed move to the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People. As we continue our work, being able to relate to the space, layout and operation of the Sick Kids helps the Inquiry better understand the experience of staff, families and patients.

“I have said from the start, one of the priorities of this Inquiry is to understand the experiences of affected patients and their families and so this visit proved vital.

“As we prepare for our September hearings, I continue to call on anyone who has relevant experience or information in relation to the delayed opening of the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People to get in touch.

“We want to understand what went wrong, whether these issues could have been prevented and what impact they had on patient care. The witness engagement and support team is on hand to guide individuals through the process and answer any questions.

“Our investigations will inform recommendations aimed at ensuring that past mistakes don’t happen again in future NHS infrastructure projects.”

Relevant information can be shared by calling the Inquiry’s dedicated phone line on 0808 196 5000 between 8:30am and 5:00pm Monday to Friday or email: 

public@hospitalsinquiry.scot.

Further contact details are available on the website www.hospitalsinquiry.scot  

At last: New Sick Kids to fully open on 23rd March

The replacement Sick Kids hospital will fully open at last this month, Health Secrtary Jeane Freeman announced today.

Answering a question from Edinburgh Pentlands SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald, Ms. Freeman said: “NHS Lothian have now received the final validation reports for the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People remedial works and they are all satisfactory. 

“I am therefore pleased to confirm that NHS Lothian will proceed with the migration of outpatients in the week commencing 22 March, this migration plan has been designed in collaboration with the support of medical, nursing and support services such as Laboratories, Radiology and Theatres. 

“This is the final phase of the plan and from that date, all relevant clinical services will be delivered from the new hospital.

“I want to record my thanks to all those involved in delivering a project that has resulted in a safe hospital for the patients, families and staff of NHS Lothian.”

Lothian Conservative MSP Miles Briggs said: “The opening of the Royal hospital for Sick Children has been a long time coming and I am pleased for families in Edinburgh and the Lothian’s that it has finally arrived.

“I hope that the new hospital will be a centre of excellence for treating children and young people in the region for a long time to come.

“All the best to NHS Lothian paediatric staff in their overdue new home.”

NHS Lothian confirmed that the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People will fully open on Tuesday 23 March.

From this date, the remaining Children’s services presently located at Sciennes, including A&E, will move to the stunning and world-class Royal Hospital for Children and Young People located next to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at Little France.

The new facilities are already home to the majority of the Children’s Outpatient services and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DCN), which both migrated to the Little France site in July 2020. Earlier this year, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) inpatient facilities and some outpatient services also moved to the new hospital.

The Royal Hospital for Children and Young People will deliver local, regional and national services in some of the most modern and best-designed healthcare facilities in the world.

With the new facilities connected to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, paediatric care, specialist neonatal care, neurosciences and both Emergency Departments are now all on the same site. This reduces the need for emergency transfers between hospitals, and ensures that our teams can share skills and expertise for the benefit of all our patients.

Calum Campbell, Chief Executive, NHS Lothian said, “I am delighted to announce that the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People will fully open on the 23 March 2021, bringing world class clinical facilities to the people of Lothian.

“Our wish for this project was for it to be designed in collaboration with patients and their families, as well as our staff, and the facilities that are available within the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People are testament to the success of that approach.

“The spaces are welcoming, but also fun; intended to put children and young people at ease at a time when they might otherwise be frightened, unsure or upset. The designed space is complemented by the inclusion of the latest clinical thinking and technology, enabling our teams to provide the best treatment and care for our patients not just now, but for years to come.”

The full opening of the site, follows a commissioning stage, where the remaining facilities were extensively checked, equipment was tested and staff orientation took place.

Ms Susan Goldsmith, Director of Finance and Executive Lead for the project explained that a huge amount of work had taken place to get to this point. Ms Goldsmith said, “Many teams and individuals have helped with this incredibly important project and I would like to take a moment to express my thanks to them all for their diligence and commitment.

“I am delighted that the remaining services will soon move to the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People. It will be a fantastic moment to see the building fully open and for our patients to benefit from the amazing facilities that are on offer.”

The remaining Children’s Services that are presently located at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children at Sciennes will move to the new hospital by Tuesday 23 March.

From 8am on Tuesday 23 March, all patients and any child or young person requiring access to A&E, must go to the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People at Little France.

The new hospital includes:

  • Children’s Emergency Department, next to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh Adult Emergency Department
  • 242 Beds
  • 10 Theatres
  • 10 Wards (Inpatient and Day Care)
  • Therapy departments
  • Outpatients
  • Outdoor play areas
  • Physical and mental health specialities on one site
  • Modern Imaging equipment
  • An Art and Therapeutic Design programme worth over £5million, which enhances the environment and experience of the hospital. This programme has been funded by Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (www.ECHCharity.org) and Edinburgh and Lothians Health Foundation (www.elhf.co.uk)  
  • Ronald McDonald House (accommodation for families of paediatric patients)
  • Helipad
  • Inpatient bedside entertainment
  • Public WiFi

Next phase of the move to the New Sick Kids hospital set for January

NHS Lothian’s inpatient Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) are set to move to their new home at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in January 2021. 

The service is expected to join the Department of Clinical Neurosciences and the vast majority of Children’s outpatient services in the middle of the month, following their successful migration to the new building in the summer.

Susan Goldsmith, NHS Lothian Director of Finance and Executive Lead on the Re-provision Project provided an update at a meeting of the Board of NHS Lothian on Wednesday.

Ms Goldsmith said: “We are really excited to be moving CAMHS into its new, purpose built home next month. It has been designed carefully with the input of patients and their families and with their needs in mind. 

“It will provide patients and staff alike with a safe, comfortable and pleasant environment conducive to high quality treatment and care.”

Feedback on the new facility, which has come to life in recent months, has been overwhelmingly positive from staff, patients and families. 

Catering outlets, including a shop, are open for staff and visitors to the building, while the rooftop helipad has passed all test flight and will come into operation once training has been completed. 

The building is due to be handed over to NHS Lothian at the end of January when a period of commissioning will begin to install equipment, train staff and carry out final checks.

Lothian MSP Miles Briggs commented: ““I welcome the long overdue move of CAMHS services to Royal Hospital for Sick Children, based at Little France, in January next year.

“CAMHS waiting times in Lothian are exceptionally long at the moment, with increased demand over recent years and this move is a chance to start reducing waiting times for children and young people who urgently need these services.

“I look forward to visiting the new CAMHS facilities next year when lockdown restriction allow.”

New Sick Kids Hospital: MOVE HALTED

Update on Royal Hospital for Children and Young People

To protect patient safety the Health Secretary has delayed the move of patients, staff and services from the existing Royal Hospital for Sick Children to the new site at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, which was due to take place next week.  Continue reading New Sick Kids Hospital: MOVE HALTED