Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, also known as the Bristol Children's Hospital, is a paediatric hospital in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

and the only paediatric major trauma centre in

South West England South West England, or the South West of England, is one of nine official regions of England. It consists of the counties of Bristol, Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Cities ...

. The hospital is part of the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW), which includes eight other hospitals. The hospital is located next to the

Bristol Royal Infirmary The Bristol Royal Infirmary, also known as the BRI, is a large teaching hospital situated in the centre of Bristol, England. It has links with the nearby University of Bristol and the Faculty of Health and Social Care at the University of the Wes ...

in the city centre.

History

The hospital has its origins in the Hospital for Sick Children on St Michael's Hill founded in 1866 and built to the designs of Robert Carwen in the Tudor gothic revival style in 1885. It went on to become the Bristol Royal Hospital for Sick Children. The new Children's Hospital opened on 22 April 2001, replacing the old children's hospital on St Michael's Hill, at a cost £30million. One of the main aims of the design, in addition to providing the most up-to-date facilities possible, was to overcome many of the difficulties that face patients, families and staff. In February 2014, it was agreed an inquiry would be held into the

Bristol heart scandal The Bristol heart scandal occurred in England during the 1990s. At the Bristol Royal Infirmary, babies died at high rates after cardiac surgery. An inquiry found "staff shortages, a lack of leadership, ... unit ... 'simply not up to the task' ... ...

, following heart surgery deaths at the hospital. The inquiry published a report in June 2016, saying that “parents had been let down”. An extension was built to accommodate services moved from

Frenchay Hospital Frenchay Hospital was a large hospital situated in Frenchay, South Gloucestershire, on the north east outskirts of Bristol, England, which is now closed. In 2014, it contracted to a few brain and head injuries services. It was managed by North B ...

in 2014, including

neuroscience Neuroscience is the science, scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a Multidisciplinary approach, multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, an ...

scoliosis Scoliosis is a condition in which a person's spine has a sideways curve. The curve is usually "S"- or "C"-shaped over three dimensions. In some, the degree of curve is stable, while in others, it increases over time. Mild scoliosis does not ty ...

surgery, burns and

plastic surgery Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes cranio ...

, bringing all inpatient children's services in Bristol to one location. In 2015, a neuro-rehabilitation unit was built to support the moved services. In May 2014, a new helipad on the roof of the neighbouring

became fully operational and will receive air ambulances from Bristol and the surrounding area, which will speed up transfer times for patients who are air lifted to the hospital. The HELP Appeal supported the construction of the helipad with a grant of £500,000.

Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal

Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal is the only charity that fundraises exclusively for the hospital and the

neonatal intensive care unit A neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), also known as an intensive care nursery (ICN), is an intensive care unit (ICU) specializing in the care of ill or premature newborn infants. Neonatal refers to the first 28 days of life. Neonatal care, as k ...

at St Michael's Hospital, to provide facilities and comforts for patients and their families. The Grand Appeal raised £12M towards the new building for the child-friendly hospital, which opened in April 2001. Since then, the charity has funded a wide variety of programmes for patients valued at over £5M including arts, entertainment, education, play and music programmes; equipment; family accommodation facilities; comforts for patients; ward enhancement and new medical facilities in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. At the beginning of July 2013, The Grand Appeal launched a project named Gromit Unleashed, a public art exhibition led by Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal and Aardman Animations, in which eighty tall artist-decorated fibreglass sculptures of Gromit were placed on the streets of Bristol and the surrounding area for ten weeks. Sculptures were decorated by a range of artists and celebrities, including

Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an English actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (1992 ...

, Sir Peter Blake,

Cath Kidston Catherine Isabel Audrey Kidston (born 6 November 1958) is an English fashion designer, businesswoman and author whose company, Cath Kidston Limited sells home furnishings and related goods online, through franchises and by mail order. She is ...

and

Jools Holland Julian Miles Holland, (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Jayne County, Sting, Eric C ...

. At the end of the art trail, each sculpture was auctioned to raise funds for Bristol Children's Hospital. The Grand Appeal has pledged to raise £3.5M for equipment for Bristol Children's Hospital, including a state of the art CT Scanner, an intraoperative MRI scanner, family facilities and child-friendly artwork to help save the lives of sick children at the hospital. All funds raised by Gromit Unleashed will contribute towards this.

Art

Hydrotherapy Pool Wall Mural, Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, 1998

In 1997, arts consultant, Lesley Greene, was commissioned to develop an arts strategy for the new hospital. This project was committed to integrated designs, a commitment to consultation and the family. Her active research programme led to the appointment of lead artist, Ray Smith, Eva Elsner, and Annie Lovejoy who contributed to the planning of the commissions programme. Artworks were commissioned from more than twenty artists, many of which were site specific. These commissions were funded by the hospital's own fundraising arm, The Wallace and Gromit Grand Appeal.

References

External links

*
Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal
{{authority control University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust Hospital buildings completed in 2001 Hospitals in Bristol NHS hospitals in England Children's hospitals in the United Kingdom

History

Wallace and Gromit's Grand Appeal

Art

Archives

See also

References

External links