Alder Hey Children's Hospital
| Alder Hey Children's Hospital | |
|---|---|
| Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust | |
 | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | West Derby, Merseyside, England, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 53°25′14″N 2°53′48″W / 53.42053°N 2.89677°W |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | Public NHS |
| Type | Specialist |
| Affiliated university | University of Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores University |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Yes Accident & Emergency; Children's Major Trauma Centre |
| Beds | 309 [1] |
| Speciality | Children's hospital |
| History | |
| Opened | 1914 |
| Links | |
| Website | alderhey.com |
| Lists | Hospitals in England |
Alder Hey Children's Hospital is a children's hospital in West Derby, Liverpool. It is run by the Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust as part of the National Health Service in England. The hospital forms a key component of the undergraduate medical curriculum at the University of Liverpool School of Medicine.[2]
The hospital is currently being rebuilt in neighbouring Springfield Park in a £237 million pound scheme. The new hospital broke ground on 21 January 2013, and is expected to open by Summer 2015, where it will be renamed as Alder Hey Children's Health Park. The original Alder Hey buildings will then be demolished and the land reclaimed as new parkland for the surrounding community.[3]
History
The hospital was founded in 1914 and is one of the largest children's hospitals in Europe.
During the First World War, the United States Army established Camp Hospital 40 on the site, operated by Hospital Unit Q and, subsequently, Unit W. American sources commonly refer to Alder Hey as being within Liverpool's Knotty Ash area.
The hospital acquired the prefix 'Royal' in 1985 and became an NHS hospital trust in 1991. It currently employs about 2,400 staff and treats over 200,000 children each year.
During the 1990s it was featured in the BBC television series Children's Hospital.
Charity
In 1978, The charity Art For Their Sake [4], a team of volunteer artists led by George Nicholas now of Ormskirk, England, produced the world's longest mural in the corridors of Alder Hey Children's Hospital. A Guinness Record was set and awarded to the hospital in 1986 for a total of 17,963 square feet. Nicholas and his team continued to work on these murals for a period of 30 years.
Today, a charity, 'imagine', raises funds to assist the hospital's work and to provide art work there.
In one instance, the sound recordist and musician Chris Watson was employed to devise an art project, using bird song recordings made by children to calm other young patients as they received injections and other treatments.[5][6]
Organ scandal
In 1999 an enquiry was instituted to investigate the hospital's practices in respect of removal and retention of human tissue. The enquiry had far-reaching effects throughout the UK hospital system (see Alder Hey organs scandal for more details).
Heston's Mission Impossible
In 2011, chef Heston Blumenthal took to the challenge of changing the dinner menu of Alder Hey Children's hospital on his televised show, Heston's Mission Impossible.[7]
Quality of Care
In October 2013 as a result of the Keogh Review the Trust was put into the highest risk category by the Care Quality Commission[8]
References
- ^ NHS Choices
- ^ Alder Hey website
- ^ http://www.alderhey.nhs.uk/Media_Centre/Latest_news/new_alder_hey_unveiled.asp
- ^ http://www.artfortheirsake.com/
- ^ Moss, Stephen (24 August 2010). "Birdsong: the cure for all ills?". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 25 August 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Imagine Appeal - Alder Hey Arts". Retrieved 25 August 2010.
- ^ http://www.channel4.com/4food/on-tv/hestons-mission-impossible-extras/about-hestons-mission-impossible
- ^ "NHS Trusts put in risk categories - full list". Independent. 24 October 2013. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
External links
Media related to Alder Hey Hospital at Wikimedia Commons
- Hospital website
- "Archival material relating to Alder Hey Children's Hospital". UK National Archives.
Children's hospitals in the United Kingdom | |
|---|---|
| Hospitals |
|
| Hospices | |
| Paediatric transport | |