Celebrating a Year at the Children's Hospital for Wales

Since it opened On St David’s Day 2005, the Children’s Hospital for Wales has treated children from the four corners of Wales.

Demonstrating that it is truly a Children’s Hospital for Wales, the official figures reveal that 73% of the patients treated at the hospital during its first year came from outside of Cardiff and the Vale. 

“From the very start we wanted to build a world-class facility for sick children from all across Wales and we are delighted that, now it’s up and running, the hospital is benefiting children from all over the principality,” said Lyn Jones, Chairman of Trustees of the Noah’s Ark Appeal. 

The Children’s Hospital for Wales is a world away from the old facilities at UHW that were ill-equipped to cope with the range of illnesses that are catered for in the new hospital.  The old building was damp and cramped.  Parents were forced to sleep in armchairs if they wanted to stay the night with their child and the glass rooms afforded little or no privacy for families.  Nursing staff complained of a lack of storage space and the environment was unwelcoming despite the nurses’ attempts to brighten the walls with drawings and cartoons.

The Children’s Hospital has been designed specifically with the needs of sick children in mind.  From the reception area, decorated with bright colours and interactive art to create a warm friendly environment, to the wards which are equipped with pull-down beds so that a parent can stay the night with their sick child.  A specially commissioned art programme, throughout the hospital has been designed to distract sick children from pain and aid their recovery.

With facilities for parents and carers who may have travelled long distances across Wales for treatment for their sick child, the hospital has been designed to support the whole family through their difficult time. 
 
Pull-down beds enable parents to sleep in next to their child, enabling them to be able to rest properly and be in a fit state to comfort and support the child through a difficult time.  Shower facilities, a lounge and kitchen are available for parents, who are often many miles away from home.  Long term accommodation is also available for parents of children who require longer term hospital care – thanks to the Noah’s Ark Appeal’s partnership with the Rhys Daniels Trust.

The Children’s Hospital for Wales integrates specialist paediatric services under one roof.  The centralisation of paediatric services brought immediate benefits to many patients, especially to children suffering from cancer, who prior to the opening of the hospital were treated at a unit on the other side of the city.

“Within the first few days of the hospital being opened lives were being saved,” said a paediatric consultant from the hospital, who explained that in the first week a young cancer patient, who needed urgent cardiac assistance, received the treatment she needed in a matter of minutes at the Children’s Hospital of Wales.  Before the Children’s Hospital for Wales opened, the patient’s treatment would have entailed an ambulance journey across the city, which could have delayed treatment by as such as forty minutes.

Our recent campaign to help support the Teenage Cancer Trust Unit has provided much needed funds to ensure that this vital facility for teenagers with cancer – the first ever in Wales – can go ahead. 

Our current fundraising campaign will provide vital equipment for the children’s eye clinic to ensure that children in Wales will benefit from cutting-edge equipment that will revolutionise their treatment.

The Noah’s Ark Appeal continues to support the children and families who use the Children’s Hospital for Wales by providing further equipment and supporting projects that will make the Hospital an even better place to be. 

For each and every donation that we have received from people in Wales and much further away, we are extremely grateful.  Without the generosity and support of these individuals, groups and companies, we would not have been able to provide a world-class hospital to treat sick children from all across Wales.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Roz Robinson, Community Relations Manager
029 2033 5016 or 029 2033 5352 (Direct Line)