We are delighted to confirm that, despite work having slowed down during the Covid-19 crisis, the new CETD facilities at Southampton University Hospital are almost complete!
While an official opening ceremony can not be planned at this time, we wanted to bring you up to speed on the progress and the impact it has made.
Already, more than 50,000 patients have benefited from treatment in this space, 15,000 more than the previous year, as the consolidation of the paediatric treatment ensures children are now being admitted, treated and discharged more quickly.
Thanks to such wonderful support from our incredible fundraisers, sponsors and donors; Southampton Children’s Hospital now has a state-of-the-art, spacious, colourful and engaging paediatric unit quite unlike any usual hospital environment. It aims to ease anxiety and provide distraction during procedures and tests, giving children, young people, and their families privacy and dignity at a time when they may be frightened or in pain.
Phase 1: In December 2018 work started on building and fitting out the 11 individual glass-fronted, soundproof cubicles in the Acute Assessment Area.
The Observed Play Area, provides a fun space for children who do not need to be in a bed to be treated and monitored. Staff can gain a better understanding of how they are feeling whilst playing, frequently enabling quicker discharge. The clinical team has reported that the fantastic new space has had a significant benefit, not only for the children and their families, but also for the staff.
Phase 2: The Short Stay Area, which provides eight beds for children requiring longer observation or treatment, opened in September 2019, enabling continuity of care and reducing the amount of time families spend in the hospital, thereby increasing the number of patients that can be treated.
Final Phase: A separate entrance and dedicated CETD waiting room, with comfy seats for parents to cuddle poorly children has been delayed owing to the pandemic. However, we are delighted to report that the end is in sight, completion of this final element of the project is expected later this Summer.
The Murray Parish Trust are delighted that the project has exceeded the expectations of all those involved in its design and construction and above all, of the dedicated medical team who work there and the young patients and their families in their care.
We hope that you have kept safe and well during the Covid-19 crisis. As you may be aware, whilst the iMRI Suite Appeal is currently our primary fundraising focus, in the past few months we also supported University Hospital Southampton to help boost the morale, mental health and well-being of the 11,000 NHS staff during this unprecedented pandemic.