2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Alistair Whitfield)
The children’s ward at Dr Gray’s is moving back to its original location – six years after thousands of pounds of child-friendly decor was thrown out. There’s been a mixed reaction from members of the public who raised £142,000 to completely refurbish the ward in 2016, only to see much of the new furnishings ripped out less than two years later. However NHS Grampian says the switch back is taking place because the Elgin hospital has been successful in recruiting more specialist staff.
The refurbishment of Ward 2 was completed in March 2016, following more than 500 hours of work over the course of 14 months. It saw sterile hospital walls, floors and curtains completely transformed and replaced with exciting imagery that tried to make the ward look as fun as possible for poorly children. But, in November 2018, the ward was stripped bare again in order to accommodate adults.
Chris Saunderson, chairman of Friends of Archie which raised the £142,000 over the course of two years, has mixed feelings about the hospital’s latest switcharound. He said: “It’s terrific that the children’s ward is moving back to where it was before - it’s the best place for it. “However it’s disappointing that the health board moved the ward so soon after people had raised all that money.
So many people stepped forward to support the appeal and came up with imaginative ways to fundraise.” The Burghead Boxing Day swim and the Kiltwalk were both major sources of revenue for the appeal which raised the £142,000 within the space of just two years. Another great supporter was McDonald’s in Elgin, whose staff drummed up more than £7500 with a variety of fundraising ventures.
Faith Houlding was also instrumental in the fundraising with Anne, her own mum, doing a skydive at the age of 69. Faith, who’s the owner of Scribbles restaurant on Elgin High Street as well as The Deli, said: “It shows how short-sighted they were to move the ward in the first place. “There’s no way the NHS will be able to afford to make it look as nice as it was.
“And that’s such a shame because the ward looked absolutely beautiful after it was refurbished. So much effort came from the community for what was a really local good cause.” Speaking in 2018, NHS Grampian stated the children’s ward had been moved closer to the emergency department so youngsters could be seen quicker and more easily by specialist staff.
Commenting this week, the health board stated the success of its ‘Wish You Worked Here’ recruitment campaign means it can now return. It added that efforts to bring its maternity service back to former standards had seen additional paediatric expertise and more dedicated junior doctors coming to the hospital which, in turn, has had a positive knock-on effect on its children’s service. Dr Morag Turnbull, a consultant paediatrician who looks after the children’s ward, said: “With many of the vacancies needed to support the maternity programme filled, we’re now in a position to move back into a larger space with a larger team to support the department.
“We’ve been open overnight for the last few years and we now have a sustainable team which has grown from three to six consultants.” Dr Turnbull added: “Aside from the clinical benefits, the new space means the team will once again be able to offer a playroom with play facilities, a parents’ room and more single rooms to care for patients who are infectious or would benefit from an individual space. “The separation of different ages and stages of children so they can be cared for in an age-appropriate environment will also be far easier.
“We are hoping the new arrangements will reduce the need for transferring children, though there will always be a need to travel for some specialist services. We’re just so pleased to be offering a 24/7 service for families across Moray.”.
