Birmingham Children's Hospital Red Balloon Appeal

The Appeal

The Appeal

Birmingham Children’s Hospital is one of the best children’s hospitals in the UK. Every year we treat children with rare, complex, life threatening conditions. Our paediatric specialists rank amongst the most highly regarded in the world, and they deliver the very highest standards of treatment, care and research every day.

Unfortunately, our hospital buildings do not always match the standard of care we provide. Much of our Birmingham city centre site dates back to the 19th Century, and other areas, built in the 1960s, are also beginning to show their age. Too often, children are treated in conditions which are crowded, uncomfortable and lacking in privacy.

In order to deliver a 21st Century service to our children, we need to improve our site. As well as building new wards and departments, we want to create a better, more convenient and comfortable environment for our patients and their families.

Over the next 10 years, the Red Balloon Appeal will support our regeneration plans. Our fundraisers make a real difference to the life of the hospital in many ways – for example by providing a brand new outdoor play area for patients and their brothers and sisters, funding the refurbishment of our Emergency Department and purchasing vital life saving equipment, such as a Bone Density Scanner for our Radiology Department.

And now we are desperately asking for help to raise £1.5 million for our Renal Unit....

Kidney Kids Appeal

Our Renal Unit is recognised as a leading centre of its kind and delivers the highest standards of care every day. However, with its shabby décor, crowded facilities and small windows, the environment in which children are treated falls far short of that which they deserve and restricts further development of Renal Services. The Unit is currently housed in a 1960’s annex which is cramped, dark and has been formally assessed as unfit for clinical purpose.

A parent whose child recently received a kidney transplant wrote: “My experiences of the Renal Unit are of two extremes, the first being complete satisfaction and confidence in all the staff, and the other being anger at the poor state of the facilities. The building is not fit for purpose for a pioneering Unit, and in asset management terms would score poorly in every respect’’.

In order to improve the facilities we offer, The Renal Unit will move onto the spare floor that was created by construction of our new Burn, Neonatal Surgery and Education building, with its convenient access to Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Radiology and Theatres. The building incorporates fundamental design features which reflect the very specific needs of children – including extra large windows which offer a view for even our smallest patients, child friendly decoration, specialist lighting and flooring and fantastic play facilities that provide for and respect the different ages of the children receiving treatment.

If you would like to make a contribution to the Kidney Kids Appeal, please click on Donate now or call the fundraising team on 0121 333 8525 for more information. You can also visit the BBC WM website to find out more about their support for the Kidney Kids campaign.

We are also working hard to fundraise for play area - read on to find out about this project...

The CAMHS Playarea

Our CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) in-patient ward moved to a new split ward area in March 2008 and in addition to the much improved clinical and accommodation facilities that the new ward area is providing, we need to develop a new outdoor Playarea on site for the exclusive use of these patients. The total cost of this special play area will be £80,000.

Physical health is recognised as being vitally important to mental health. For children experiencing mental health problems, being physically active is an essential element in their treatment programme. The CAMHS team at Birmingham Children’s Hospital aim to deliver a holistic package of care which includes physical activity and a strong emphasis on healthy living.

The Playarea will be a private space for CAMHS patients and their families. At every planning stage of the CAMHS redevelopment, patient’s views and opinions have led the way. It will include a Basketball layout including hoops, football pitch including goals, table tennis, badminton and a canopied area for protection in bad weather. The flooring will soft and padded as it will be made from recycled tyres and whole area decorated using bright colours.

“The new play area will play a really important role in the care package we offer. Our clinical area simply won’t work as well without a dedicated play space. It will be of massive therapeutic benefit.” Peter Hodgkinson, CAMHS Ward Manager

For further information on any of the projects outlined above, or any other Fundraising query, suggestion or request, please contact the Appeal Team on 0121 333 8525 or red.balloon@bch.nhs.uk

If you would like to contribute to the Red Balloon Appeal, click on Donate now or see some fundraising ideas on Get involved.