Paediatric

The Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children is the only hospital in the province dedicated to the care of children. The hospital has been providing care since 1873, when it first opened with 18 beds which have increased since then to 115 beds/cots. It now provides a unique range of services for children from around Northern Ireland and offers a full range of secondary and tertiary services for inpatients, day patients and outpatients. An impressive new £10 million extension with accommodation for A&E, outpatients, paediatric intensive care, theatres and medical records opened in 1999. This has transformed the hospital environment for the patients, their families and the staff.

The specialist services provided in the hospital include paediatric neurology, cardiology, plastic surgery, endocrinology, haematology and nephrology. There are facilities for dialysis and the monitoring of many conditions, for example a special adolescent unit for young people with cystic fibrosis. Paediatric infectious disease services are based at the hospital. There is a full range of clinical professions with a modern physiotherapy department including a hydrotherapy pool. The Belfast Hospital School is based in the Children's Hospital and provides educational input to children throughout the Royal as well as home tuition to patients unable to attend their usual school.

Consultants in community paediatrics from neighbouring community trusts contribute to the combined child health service. Many staff hospital participate in undergraduate and postgraduate multi-disciplinary programmes.

A number of specialist teams provide multi-disciplinary care for children within the hospital and at outreach clinics throughout the province. There is an increasing number of nurse specialists who work in a range of clinical fields including neurology, nephrology, pain control, diabetes and stomatherapy. The Children's Hospital have seventeen play specialists, most of whom have the hospital play specialist diploma. They work in the majority of wards and departments including theatre, A&E and outpatients.

A range of quality initiatives have been developed by staff over the years. For example
the acute pain service aims to provide a multi-professional approach to pain management.

A multi-disciplinary bereavement quality group meets on a regular basis. Its activities include planning the annual service of remembrance which is attended by a large number of parents and families from throughout Northern Ireland.

The C.H.A.T. group (Cancer Help and Advice for Teenagers), based in the Children's Haematology Unit, produced an award winning video to provide information and advice for their newly-diagnosed peers. In addition, a support group run for young people with diabetes is proving very successful and combines fun activities with an educational element.