Bella Launches Our New £2m ED Appeal
Meet 15-year-old Bella - the face of our new £2 million Emergency Department Appeal which will transform the area.
Our Children’s Hospital is the only major trauma centre for children and young people in the Midlands, but our Emergency Department (ED) like many others, is under more pressure than ever and its lack of space is creating a barrier to the treatment it can offer.
Built to treat a maximum of 40,000 patients a year, our incredible teams now care for more than 65,000 sick children annually, often in spaces that are no longer fit for purpose.
Our Emergency Department Appeal will help transform the department – expanding clinical spaces, reducing wait times, improving patient experience and delivering facilities for our most vulnerable patients. This includes three new state-of-the-art resus rooms featuring all the latest life-saving technology, as well as a bigger, better equipped waiting room, Changing Places accessible toilet, a baby change and feeding room, a sensory room, a dedicated safe space for mental health patients and a family room where doctors can speak with family members in a calm and supportive space.
With Trust and NHS England funding already secured, a multi-phase scheme has been developed to update and improve the entire department. Our Charity now needs to raise £2 million to help accelerate and enhance the project.
Thanks to a £100,000 grant from Morrisons Foundation, £400,000 from our visionary network of Changemakers – made up of some of the region’s top business leaders, companies and entrepreneurs – plus £500,000 raised by our network of corporate organisations, we have just £1 million left to raise with the help of the public.
Patient, Bella and her mum, Hazel, know more than most the challenges families can face in our Emergency Department. They’ve spent the last three years in and out of hospital managing the chronic pain Bella experiences.
Bella was born with cerebral palsy, a neurological condition which affects her movement, motor skills and speech. Until recently, Bella managed her condition at home and though she used a wheelchair, she was able to lead a full life. However, in 2023, Bella began experiencing debilitating chronic pain.
Hazel brought Bella to our ED and she had the first of many admissions to bring her pain under control with medication. Doctors determined Bella’s pain was unexplained and unrelated to her cerebral palsy. Unfortunately, just three weeks after her first stay in hospital, the pain flared up again and Hazel brought her straight back.
This has been the cycle the family has been in ever since, so they’ve grown accustomed to the visiting the department.
Bella said: “As well as my cerebral palsy, I have autism and I can find the Emergency Department really overstimulating – especially when it’s busy and there’s lots of noise and bright lights – and because the waiting room is such a small space, there’s no way to get away from other patients.”
Katie Johnston, Lead Nurse for Urgent Care, said: “Our staff work around the clock, 365 days of the year, to deliver urgent and often life-saving treatment, however the environment in which we offer that care, is no longer suitable. We’re seeing more young people come through our doors, with more complex needs, so it’s essential for us to expand our clinical spaces and introduce new technology, to allow us to treat patients more efficiently as well as reduce wait times and improve outcomes.”
Miranda Williams, Director of Public Fundraising for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: "So many people start their hospital journey with us here in the Emergency Department and it’s essential the environment matches the world-class care on offer. With the new plans we will transform the space to offer a calmer environment, which will reduce stress and anxiety for patients and families, plus provide the privacy and dignity they deserve.
“Thanks to our wonderful charitable partners, we now have just £1m left to raise. I’d encourage everyone to get behind this appeal and help us get over the finish line. As the only major paediatric trauma centre in the Midlands, it will make a massive difference to our region’s children and young people.”
The transformation will take place in multiple phases, so our ED’s life-saving services remain unaffected. Work has recently begun on the new waiting area in its new home in our Loveday Street building, which will be open to patients and families in mid-Spring.
To find out more about our Emergency Department Appeal, or to donate, please visit bch.org.uk/emergency-department.