Bristol Hospital Will Be 'World Leader' In Child Care
The Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal is planning to raise millions to support the expansion of Bristol Children's Hospital
£3.5 million is needed for a new children's cancer unit and a paediatric MRI scanner which will be the first of its kind in the South of England.
Bristol Children's Hospital will become one of the only leading multi-disciplinary children's hospitals in the UK when it incorporates services currently at Frenchay Hospital, which include neurosurgery, a children's burn unit and a major trauma treatment centre.
The NHS is funding £30 million for the core costs of the transfer of services but the Grand Appeal will fundraise for the equipment and additional facilities that will create a child-friendly environment at the hospital as well as facilities for children's families.
The charity plans to raise the money from a range of sources including fundraising events, companies, major donors and grant making trusts.
Dr Dominic Hurford, who was a former bone marrow transplant patient at the hospital, is championing the project. At the age of 16 he was diagnosed with leukaemia and after treatment became a doctor. Until recently he was treating patients at the Children's Hospital with the same condition.
Dr Hurford said: "Treatment unimaginable a decade ago is now within reach thanks to the advances in medical treatment and this is what this campaign is all about. As a doctor, if you've ever had to say to a patient's parents, 'I'm sorry we've done all we can do and there's nothing else we can offer because we don't have the facilities' it turns you into a person who wants to do something. I really want people to know that they can make a difference if they help the Grand Appeal."
Ian Barrington from Bristol Children's Hospital said: "By 2014 the hospital will be one of the UK's leading multi-disciplinary children's hospitals with a wide provision of clinical facilities under one roof. We are pleased to continue our work with the Grand Appeal who have provided such support over the years, in this new phase of the Hospital's development."
Dr Hurford's film for the Grand Appeal can be viewed at http://www.grandappeal.org.uk/film
You can also hear him chatting to us about his experiences as a leukaemia patient, as well as his vision for the future of the hospital here:
To find out more about how you can support the Grand Appeal, please contact 0800 919649 or visit www.grandappeal.org.uk.
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