tayside children’s hospital appeal

for a new children’s theatre suite

www.archietayside.org.uk

When The ARCHIE Foundation was first approached by Tayside Children’s Hospital to help

to “make a difference’ as it has elsewhere, I was privileged to be shown around the hospital

by some of the front-line staff and to meet some of the children being treated there. The

wonderfully warm and welcoming staff and the high quality of care that the children receive

immediately struck me. I was therefore delighted when, in January 2014, The ARCHIE

Foundation became the official charity of Tayside Children’s Hospital. I am certain this will

prove to be a very long and successful partnership, which will make a real difference for sick

children and their families across Tayside in some of the ways outlined on the following pages.

The first chosen project is to help to create a brand new children’s theatre suite with two

world-class operating theatres and all the associated services and moving this within the

Children’s Hospital for the first time. There will be major benefits to the surgical capacity at

Tayside Children’s Hospital by creating this new facility and the ARCHIE appeal will truly make

a very significant difference to some of Tayside’s most poorly children.

Please lend us your support in any way you can, knowing that you personally will be helping to

‘make the difference’ for local children when they really do need it the most.

Thank you.

Joe Mackie Chairman – The ARCHIE Foundation

introductionWhen a child becomes sick or they are involved in an accident it can be an incredibly

distressing time for both the child and their family.

Throughout Tayside there is a first-class NHS paediatrics service that often allows children

to be treated in their own communities. However more seriously ill children who need to be

admitted to hospital will go to Tayside Children’s Hospital at Ninewells, Dundee.

The most seriously ill children can often also be taken to children’s hospitals in Aberdeen,

Edinburgh or Glasgow for specialist treatment including emergency operations.

Since 2000 The ARCHIE Foundation has been playing an ever expanding role in this care,

initially supporting the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital (RACH), then the community based

services in the North East, then creating a new Highland Children’s Unit at Raigmore, Inverness

and now supporting Tayside Children’s Hospital at Ninewells in Dundee.

By ‘Making the Difference’ for a child and their family, no matter where they happen to be

receiving care, how far from home they are, or how long they need to be in hospital, we will

always strive to ensure the experience of being in hospital is as comfortable as possible for

everyone.

This short booklet will hopefully give you an introduction to the work of The ARCHIE Foundation

and our plans for Tayside Children’s Hospital.

welcome

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The current children’s surgical ward at Ninewells isn’t immediately within Tayside Children’s Hospital. It has a single operating theatre and a ward for day case patients. The staff here work as a strong team to give wonderful care to every child and there is a book of comments from parents who think so too!

For the majority of the day the current children’s theatre is fully occupied with pre-planned ‘list’ [or ‘elective’] operations. This means that many other children’s operations, for example dental or emergencies, are carried out in adult facilities in Ninewells or elsewhere at other hospitals. With the new children’s twin theatre suite the operating capacity of Tayside Children’s Hospital will be doubled and the staff will be able to minimise the emergency care for children that takes place outwith these specialised facilities.

Children regularly say that ‘going for an operation’ is the thing that scares them most when in hospital. Having dedicated operating theatres just for them, within their hospital, will transform the journey for many more local children.

The paediatric theatre staff at Tayside Children’s Hospital are also amongst the best in NHS Scotland and they are leading this appeal knowing that with the new twin theatre operating suite they will be able to offer the best care to many more children requiring operations.

the best treatment

“ Children must not be looked on as small adults, they are clinically different and need their own equipment and operating techniques.”

– AMANDA MCCABE, PAEDIATRIC SURGEON

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The NHS provides excellent care for children in Tayside over a wide range of specialities. However, for over ten years The ARCHIE Foundation has been providing the extras over and above this in the North and East of Scotland to make this care world-class. With your support, we will be able do the same in Tayside Children’s Hospital too.

In other facilities which The ARCHIE Foundation supports there are ARCHIE post holders making a huge difference every day of the year for sick children and their families – often meaning they no longer need to travel long distances for treatment. These include a specialist paediatric pain management nurse, a family support worker and an ARCHIE play leader.

Specialist care can also come in the form of equipment and training. The ARCHIE Foundation therefore ensures that sick children have access to the most up-to-date equipment, always over and above what the NHS should and does provide, The ARCHIE Foundation’s list of specialist equipment, backed up with a generous bursary programme for training, ensures the best people are given the best resources to make huge differences to local children.

And of course, making the difference often means looking forward too. The ARCHIE Foundation funds research into illnesses currently affecting local children. With a focus always on transitional research, the charity is currently funding a Phd studentship into childhood respiratory disease.

specialist care

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It is hard to overstate the importance of play in a child’s recovery. The ARCHIE Foundation believes strongly in the many benefits of play as well as the obvious benefits in making a child’s time in hospital as enjoyable as possible.

Sometimes the high profile, highly specialist nurse or the cutting edge piece of equipment steals the focus. At The ARCHIE Foundation we try and remember what is most important to the sick child – and that is usually toys!

By putting play at the centre of what we do we have invested heavily in everything from how and where play is delivered to the toys available and even the number of play leaders working with sick children.

Play covers everything from helping prepare a scared child for an operation through to music in the ward and, of course, the hand-held games console most valued by the older child. It is a crucial part of what we support, of the child’s time in hospital and of the difference we make.

play

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environmentChildren are often frightened, disorientated and apprehensive when visiting the hospital. At The ARCHIE Foundation we have found that this is the case regardless of whether the child is attending a brief outpatient appointment or is admitted as an in-patient. It also doesn’t matter whether it is a local community hospital or Tayside Children’s Hospital.

However, we have also found that by overturning all conventional thoughts on how a hospital should look, feel and even smell, we can make a real difference by creating environments that actually speed up the diagnosis, enhance the recovery and generally make children feel welcome, warm and cared for.

By bringing children’s surgical care into the existing Tayside Children’s Hospital we will create an overall integrated child and family friendly environment, to the benefit of the children, their families and the exceptional local staff.

And on that note, we always strive to create a great place to work because we recognise that staff morale is especially important in children’s hospitals too.

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The ARCHIE Foundation recognises that child healthcare isn’t delivered in one single place. Other important facilities in Tayside provide a high quality of paediatric care, including the Children’s Day-Case Unit at Perth Royal Infirmary, a large number of specialty outreach nurses and the community child health teams working with children nearer their own homes.

In keeping with our role as the official charity of all child health in Tayside, once the redevelopment of the children’s operating suite and surgical services in Tayside Children’s Hospital is complete, our attention will turn to supporting these areas, even individual children, wherever they are located.

The ARCHIE Foundation is here to ‘Make the Difference’ no matter where a child is receiving healthcare in NHS Tayside. We receive no government or NHS funding. We can only do all of this with your support and we need it now more than ever. Please read on to find out how to make a difference to our work and to the lives of sick children here in Tayside.

community

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Getting involved in The ARCHIE Foundation’s Tayside Children’s Hospital Appeal for a new Children’s Theatre Suite is easy and every pound given will help to make a big difference for local children.

Donations can be made from individuals in the shape of one-off or regular gifts, by organising your own event, by supporting an organised event or even by donating shares or by adding The ARCHIE Foundation to your will.

Direct donations should be made payable to The ARCHIE Foundation and sent to:

The ARCHIE Foundation Tayside Appeal

Tayside Children’s Hospital

Ninewells, Dundee DD1 9SY

www.archietayside.org.uk

If you would like to discuss adding The ARCHIE Foundation in Tayside Children’s Hospital to your will or if you would like to make a donation of shares to the charity you can contact the Director of Fundraising at The ARCHIE Foundation on 01224 559559 or speak directly to your solicitor.

Companies are encouraged to support The ARCHIE Foundation by making the charity your official partner for the duration of our appeal. Our appeal manager will happily work with you to ensure your team get fully involved, see the local difference they are making and get all the support needed to participate in our many events.

Finally, fundraising events are the foundation upon which we have built the entire charity. If you can, why not organise a cake sale or a sponsored walk, a sky dive or a party night! We have supporters packs to help so give us a call on 07860 922 598 and we will be delighted to help with your plans.

Remember – every pound raised in Tayside gets spent in Tayside to make a difference for sick children and their families in Tayside Children’s Hospital.

MAKING A DONATION

whatever you do, please do something to make a real difference to

local children when they are sick.

The ARCHIE Foundation Tayside Appeal

Tayside Children’s HospitalNinewells, Dundee DD1 9SY

Tel. 07860 922 598www.archietayside.org.uk

Officially supported by

Scottish Charity Number SC039521 – A member of the Fundraising Standard’s Board and the Institute of Fundraising.

The ARCHIE Foundation is the official charity of all child health in North and East Scotland. Working with NHS Tayside,

Grampian, Highland, Orkney and Shetland to make the difference for local children when they are sick.