Tag: Royal Hospital for Sick Children

Spooktacular surprise for Edinburgh’s Teenage Cancer Trust wards

Aldi has helped Teenage Cancer Trust patients and staff in Edinburgh get into the Halloween spirit by donating a range of seasonal goodies.  

The wards at Western General Hospital and the Royal Hospital for Sick Children received everything from pumpkins and decorations to costumes and treats, helping young people to celebrate Halloween away from home.   

Since first partnering with Teenage Cancer Trust in 2017, Aldi has raised more than £12 million for the charity, with a commitment to raise £20 million by 2031 to ensure no young person faces cancer alone. 

This Halloween, 28 Teenage Cancer Trust units across the country received donations from the supermarket, giving patients, family and staff the chance to enjoy seasonal celebrations together. 

Michelle Aucott, Senior Partnerships Manager at Teenage Cancer Trust, said: “We’re so grateful to Aldi for their continued support.

“These small seasonal gestures make a big difference, helping young people to celebrate Halloween away from home.”   

Liz Fox, National Sustainability Director at Aldi UK, added: “We’re proud to support Teenage Cancer Trust through a wide range of fundraising events and donations. Halloween is meant to be a time of fun and thrills, so we hope that our donation will help to bring some spooky fun and joy to young people and staff this year.” 

Teenage Cancer Trust works in partnership with the NHS to provide highly-trained expert staff and specialist cancer units in NHS hospitals across the UK. The charity is there at every stage from diagnosis, through treatment and after treatment.

It also brings young people with cancer together so they can support each other.  

Edinburgh developer announces fitting charity partnership

Landmark project paves the way for children’s charity sponsorship

A PREMIUM developer which is transforming the former Royal Hospital for Sick Children building has now announced a partnership with the charity that supported it.

Square & Crescent has officially partnered with Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) after kicking off the careful refurbishment of The Royal Hospital for Sick Children earlier this year.

The premium Edinburgh developer is now an official charity partner of ECHC, which helps seriously ill children across the Lothians by supporting their medical care, mental health, and family’s wellbeing.

ECHC’s former headquarters is one of the buildings being converted within the major Royal Meadows development, which will see the former hospital building transformed into a mix of luxury townhouses and apartments.

Kate Dixon, Corporate & Partnerships Lead at Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity said: “Our work is reliant on support from donations, volunteers, and corporate partners so to have the backing of one of Edinburgh’s finest residential developers is extremely valuable to us.

“The former hospital building has a lot of meaning to us and the partnership instantly made sense as it allows us to keep a connection.

“We help thousands of children who visit hospital every year. Being ill and needing hospital care can be difficult, scary, and lonely and we work hard to make the experience as positive as possible.

“Whether it’s bringing pioneering equipment to Scotland, designing a dance class to support children’s physiotherapy, performing theatre in critical care or transforming a clinical area – Square & Crescent’s support is going to be integral to helping us reach every child who comes through the hospital doors.”

To kick off its partnership, the Square & Crescent team are preparing to tackle Edinburgh’s Seven Hills Challenge to raise much needed funds.

The charity was founded in the 1980s where it was based at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children site near Edinburgh’s Meadows, before the hospital’s relocation to Little France in 2021.

The Royal Meadows development is targeted for completion in 2025, and is set to launch a sales suite in late summer this year. It spans across four-acres and is situated one mile from Princes Street and a short walk from Lothian Road, benefitting from a city centre location.

Euan Marshall, Co-Founder and joint Managing Director of Square & Crescent said: “The work Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity is doing is priceless for children and young people across the city and beyond.

“There is a natural link between Royal Meadows and Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, so the partnership already has a special meaning.

“From company-wide challenges to voluntary days and donations, we can’t wait to help in whatever way we can to support the charity’s incredible efforts.”

Square & Crescent is now a widely-regarded residential developer with a primary focus on the acquisition, development and refurbishment of beautiful homes.

For more information on Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, visit:

https://echcharity.org/

For more information on Royal Meadows, or to register interest, please email sales@squareandcrescent.com or call Lesley Coyle on 07586 129184.

For more information on Square & Crescent, visit https://squareandcrescent.com/

Final farewell to ‘Sick Kids’ site

NHS Lothian gave a final fond farewell to the iconic ‘Sick Kids’ site as the building was formally handed over to its new owners Downing yesterday.

The site was home to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children until March 2021, when the services moved to their purpose built, state of the art new facilities at Edinburgh’s Little France.

The Royal Hospital for Sick Children was designed by eminent Edinburgh architect George Washington Browne and opened in 1895. From then the hospital expanded and led the way in many aspects of paediatric medicine.

During the war years, women were welcomed onto the medical team and the staff coped with reduced supplies and evacuation.

Between 1895 and 2010 the hospital went through a number of extensions and redevelopments to provide a comprehensive range of dedicated children’s services including accident and emergency, acute medical and surgical care, specialist surgical and medical care, haematology and oncology, day care and critical care.

Despite the building’s incredible history and the amazing work that it supported, the space available was limited and the decision was made to move services to a new home located next to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh at Little France.

The first moves, which included the majority of children’s outpatient services took place in July 2020, with Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and all remaining services including inpatients moving in January and March 2021 respectively.

Allister Short, Service Director, Women’s and Children’s Services, NHS Lothian said: “The Royal Hospital for Sick Children played an incredible role in supporting the health and wellbeing of children and young people across Lothian for over 125 years, and the building will always hold many memories for patients, families and staff.

“Our services are now settled into their incredible new home at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, but we will always look back on the colourful and remarkable history of our former building with fondness.”

The building, which has undergone a period of decommissioning to remove final clinical equipment will now pass to Downing who plan to deliver a major mixed-use development comprised of 323 student bedrooms, 95 private residential properties, community space and affordable housing.

Ian Harrison, Projects Director at Downing said: “We are looking forward to beginning works to the former Royal Hospital for Sick Children and associated buildings, ensuring the preservation of the site’s incredible architectural features whilst providing an inspiring space for residents and the surrounding community.

“The sensitive redevelopment of the hospital facility will not only represent an exciting new chapter in the building’s history, but Downing’s commitment to providing first-class residential and student accommodation will help to continue the legacy of what has been an important part of the city for generations to come.”

Giant Octopus surfaces at Sick Kids!

 
A giant octopus has taken up residence at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, leaving bosses bamboozled as to where it has come from and why it is here.

The super-sized squid, known by the children at the hospital as “Olly”, is showing no sign of relocating and therefore staff, children and families have decided the only solution is to move themselves.

Fortunately, the brand new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) at Little France is soon ready to open, providing a spotless, octopus-free home for children and families from Edinburgh and beyond.

Fiona Mitchell, Service Director, Women’s and Children’s Services, NHS Lothian said: “We don’t know where Olly came from but he’s extremely friendly and certainly seems to have made himself at home here at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

“We suspect he sensed just how much love, care and memories this building holds, got all warm and cosy and couldn’t bring himself to leave.

“Unfortunately, with eight legs to navigate around, he takes up a quite a lot of space. Luckily for us, we have the new state-of-the-art hospital just down the road at Little France, so we’re getting ready to move there instead.”

Chloe (11), a regular visitor to the hospital, said: “It’s been really lovely to have Olly’s company while staying at the Sick Kids, but I’ve heard the new hospital has a flying dragon, a bagpipe playing dog and a snoring giant, so I’m very excited to meet them. I can’t wait!”

Roslyn Neely, CEO of Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC), said: “Olly has obviously heard about the tremendous care that the hospital provides and all the fun and distraction provided by our charity. 

“However, we will soon have to bid him farewell as the time comes for us to move to our new home at the RHCYP. No child or young person wants to be in hospital, but for those who have to visit the new building, NHS Lothian and ECHC will be there to care for and support them to make their time there as positive as possible.

“For now, we’ll be leaving the wonderful Sick Kids hospital in Olly’s eight capable hands.” 
 
ECHC has partnered with NHS Lothian to install the inflatable octopus at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children to create excitement about the move to the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and to reassure children, young people and families that this is a positive step for the city. 

The inflatable tentacles will appear from different windows of the hospital from Friday 19 March to Monday 22 March. It is hoped the extraordinary sight will bring laughter to children and young people preparing to be transferred and ease any anxieties. 

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 the Royal Hospital for Sick Children 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. 

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. 

Study cuts time young patients spend in intensive care

Changing the way hospital staff respond to changes in the clinical condition of young patients could help to avoid a trip to intensive care, an Edinburgh study has revealed. Most children admitted to hospital recover on hospital wards, however, some may become more unwell, at times quite rapidly – but training staff to react to early symptoms could save lives and improve patient outcomes, says the study’s lead Dr Ulf Theilen. Continue reading Study cuts time young patients spend in intensive care