A REVAMP of St Cross Hospital’s children’s outpatient unit is on the cards – thanks to funds raised by two charities.
The ambitious plan, estimated to cost around £35,000, will transform the unit inside and out, to make young patients feel more comfortable before and during appointments.
Improvements will include a secure buggy park and an outside play area for older children.
Also on the cards are a new changing area for infants and children with complex needs, a breastfeeding room and a redecoration of the unit to make it more appealing to young patients.
The Friends of St Cross charity has committed to raise at least £23,000 for the project. The improvements will also be funded by the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) Charity.
Since moving to its current location in a standalone building on the St Cross site in 2015, the unit has been able to treat Rugby children closer to home, rather than needing to travel to Coventry.
Sue Ellis, Lead Nurse for Paediatrics at UHCW NHS Trust, which manages the hospital, said: “We’re so grateful to the Friends of St Cross and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire Charity for their commitment to this project.
“While we have seen massive improvements to the Children’s Outpatients service since we moved to the standalone building, we want to do more to improve the experience for our young patients.
“The new buggy park will free up space in the waiting area, while the outside play area will allow older children to work off some of their energy.”
Willy Goldschmidt, Chairman of the Friends of St Cross, said: “We have been delighted to support the Children’s Outpatient service with small pieces of equipment which have made a difference on its journey from two clinic rooms at the end of Rowan Ward to its new child-friendly location after a short spell in the old Hawthorn ward.
“We have no doubt that the people of Rugby will be pleased to know that this project will bring the services available in Rugby onto a par with those offered at Coventry.”
The project is scheduled to be completed in the autumn.
Email [email protected] to support the project. Visit www.uhcwcharity.org for more information about the UHCW charity.
Weigh to go – nurses use a doll to test scales donated by the Friends of St Cross to the hospital’s children’s outpatient unit. Photo by Bob Mercer. (s)
