Edward's visit to Glasgow

HRH Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex as part of a whirlwind visit to Glasgow opened a state-of-the-art ICU at Yorkhill's Sick Kids' Hospital.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HRH Prince Edward, paid special honour to the staff and fund raisers when he opened the new ICU at the Yorkhill's Sick Kids Hospital.  The unit was built with assistance from the Evening Times and its readers.  The Prince noted that it was an "amazing transformation" which has taken place there and thanked all involved for their hardwork.

The reconstruction of the facitlity as see the old, cramped facility,  now been replaced by the best paediatric intensive care unit in the UK.  The new ICU has more beds, more space, more natural daylight, more staff and better equipment. Prince Edward was given a demonstration of the hi-tech equipment that was installed, such as the heart rate and blood pressure monitors at each bedside and relays it back to a central unit.  The Earl was visible impressed by the new addition to the ward.  "As the father of a young child, I am, of course, impressed and encouraged by what I have seen here today," he told staff on a tour of the unit. "It is an amazing place."

HRH Prince Edward also met with senior health officials, including Sir John Arbuthnott, chairman of NHS Greater Glasgow, and Sally Kuenssberg and Jonathan Best, chairman and chief executive of Yorkhill, as well as the hospital's critical care co-ordinator Maureen Taylor, who is responsible for the day-to-day running of the unit, and Evening Times editor Charles McGhee and deputy editor Janette Harkess.

The Earl also met some of the ward's previous occupants, happy two-and-a-half-year-old, Archie and his big brother Alex, five, and Anna, 10 months, also met Prince Edward, along with Nichola, 8, and his brother Ben, 5.  " I can't really remember what he said to me but he was very nice," said Nicholas. "He was very friendly, very natural, and he chatted away to the children," said Fiona Cockburn.  "I think he was very aware how difficult it was for us, because of what we had been through. He seemed to empathise with the parents, I think, and recognised that even though we were here to celebrate the opening of the new unit, it was hard for us."

The new facilities also included accommodation for parents, including counselling rooms, a small kitchen and sitting room. Staff nurse Lauren Hardcastle, who was one of several staff to meet Prince Edward, explained: " The parents' rooms will make a huge difference.  "Prince Edward seemed genuinely interested in the unit, and the fact that we take children from all over Scotland and Northern Ireland."

The Prince spoke to staff at Yorkhill Children's Foundation, the fundraising arm of the hospital, including boss Brian Simmers, who said: " We're delighted that His Royal Highness is here to perform the official opening.  "We spoke to him about the work of the Foundation, including our current projects, such as the Kilimanjaro climb."

The new £5.5m unit opened its doors at the beginning of May, with 14 ICU beds, where young patients are given one-to-one care 24 hours a day, and 10 high dependency beds, for patients out of immediate danger but not well enough to return to the wards.