Pioneering and unique rare diseases centre shortlisted for prestigious national award
Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s pioneering new rare diseases centre for children and young people, which will open its doors in early 2018, is already receiving national recognition with the project shortlisted for a prestigious award.
The new centre will be proudly part of the new on-site £37.5million Waterfall House clinical block, along with a world-cancer centre and additional surgical theatres.
It will play a vital role in co-ordinating the care offered to the more than 9,000 children and young with rare disease experts at the leading paediatric hospital sees each year.
Suitably impressed by the plans for the centre, which will be the first of its type in the world, judges at this year’s Health Service Journal (HSJ) Awards have included it on the shortlist in the Compassionate Patient Care category.
Sarah-Jane Marsh, Chief Executive at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“Our new rare diseases centre will be the first of its kind in the world and we could not be more proud that it has been recognised by the HSJ in this way.
“The difference our centre will make to thousands of our children and young people will be huge and we cannot wait to start welcoming patients and families in a few months’ time.
“We are also keeping our fingers crossed that the team come away with the award on the night.”
The new rare diseases centre for children has been made possible thanks to the hospital charity’s £3.65million Star Appeal, which officially closed earlier this summer after reaching its target in a little over 18 months thanks to the generosity of its supporters.
Dr Larissa Kerecuk, Rare Diseases Lead at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“There’s been so much hard work already to turn what was an ambitious vision for our new dedicated rare disease centre for children into a reality. There’s still a lot of work going on behind the scenes ahead of us officially opening the doors to patients and families early next year, but this nomination is a tremendous boost for everyone involved.”
Birmingham Children’s Hospital has had a good track record at the HSJ Awards, which celebrate the finest achievements of the NHS, having won the prestigious title of Provider Trust of the Year in 2015. This year’s ceremony, where the winners will be announced, will take place in London on Wednesday 22 November.