Alder Hey at
The Lanesborough Tuesday 21st November 2023
Hosted by The Countess of Derby Kindly supported by
Alder Hey Children’s Charity Dinner Order of service 7:30pm Seated for dinner 7:45pm Welcome from Graham Morris, Chair of Alder Hey Children’s Charity and The Countess of Derby, Charity President 7:55pm Starter 8:15pm Rachel Fillhart, Cascade 2
8:25pm Bimal Mehta, Paediatric Emergency Consultant 8:35pm Main course and dessert 9:45pm Thank you from Fiona Ashcroft, CEO of Alder Hey Children’s Charity 10:30pm Carriages
Emergency Care Appeal Being admitted to an emergency department can be an extremely upsetting experience for our patients. In this department, we often see families at their most vulnerable, as they await a diagnosis for a child who may be in significant pain or distress. Alder Hey has identified the need for a new Same Day Emergency Care Centre, to provide a once-in-a-generation opportunity to streamline emergency care in a bespoke new family-friendly setting.
Children will have access to the most appropriate and effective clinical support upon their immediate arrival at Alder Hey. This will help the most critical patients to be quickly identified and allow children to return safely home with their families as soon as possible, ideally on the same day as admission. The new centre has been designed with the needs of our families at its heart. All clinical areas will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities which ensure both the greatest
comfort possible for children and the highest levels of clinical care. Family-friendly waiting area facilities will be decorated in warm and calming colours throughout. They will include comfortable seating, televisions and themed artwork to provide distraction and a bespoke timber feature tree with LED lighting, echoing Alder Hey’s natural parkland setting. There will also be a feature play wall for children, helping them to feel relaxed and at ease during their time with us. Our new Same Day Emergency Care Centre will be unrivalled in terms of its facilities and capability compared to other paediatric centres in the North West and nationally. Alder Hey Children’s Charity is raising funds to provide enhancements to this innovative new centre which are above and beyond core NHS provision, transforming the hospital experience for our children in the future.
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Cascade Music in the Emergency Department
responsive, patient-centred approach, adapting musical genre, mood and atmosphere to suit the patient’s changing emotional needs from nursery rhymes for toddlers to songs requested by teenagers.
“A two year old boy with severe breathing difficulties came into A&E by ambulance. He was very difficult to keep calm on the way to Alder Hey and the paramedics were unable to get any life saving drugs into him. When we called for Rachel and Martin’s support, the patient calmed, allowing the team to carry out their work without the need for anaesthetics and potentially intubation. The paramedic stopped me outside the room and said she was astonished to witness the effect of live music and the impact it had on treatment delivery. She said, ‘all Emergency Departments should have access to live music – it’s brilliant!’ This programme makes such a difference.” Dr Kerr, Paediatric Consultant
Over the course of the last five years, live music has become an integral part of our Emergency Department, thanks to two professional musicians, Rachel Fillhart and Martin Bickerton and their organisation Cascade Music. Their approach is rarely seen within an Emergency Department setting which is why we are incredibly proud to provide this service to our patients and their families. Specialising in Music in Healthcare, Rachel and Martin bring with them many years of experience. They play and sing with a
Registered Charity Number 1160661
Their assistance, when appropriate, in trauma cases has shown that they can play an important role in these challenging and unpredictable spaces without impeding clinicians’ work. Supporting children and keeping them calm during their medical assessment can also speed up the flow of patient traffic through the department, benefitting not only the children in our care but their families and staff. The rippling effects of their work stretch to subsequent hospital and medical visits, with patients visibly less anxious, thanks to their initial positive experience. The arts are not classified as essential NHS provision, and we rely on the goodwill of our supporters to keep programmes such as Cascade Music in operation and ensure our brave young patients can continue to benefit from the physical and mental health benefits associated with music.