7-October-2015
INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE... NEWS
PAGE 3
Going green at the Echo Arena
LIFEextra PAGE 10
Sam’s sound of success
SPORT
PAGE 12
Tranmere prepare for Eastleigh
IT’S AMAZING!
Alder Hey staff and children love their new £237m home By JESSICA ARNELL The impressive £237m Alder Hey in the Park hospital, has today opened its doors after the unveiling last week. Around 120 patients, 3,000 staff and equipment have been moved along a purpose-built covered walk way over a fiveday period that ended yesterday. The move was meticulously planned. It involved 12 teams including clinicians, porters and volunteers to ensure a safe and smooth move for patients and families. Many parents have been eagerly anticipating the move. Carla Livesey, mother of an Alder Hey patient, said: “My son spends a lot of time in Alder Hey. The new hospital is amazing, he will be receiving the best care using the best equipment. The new rooms will mean he will be comfortable and I will be able to be there with him every step of the way.”
Emergency services continued to operate throughout the move and from the early hours of Sunday, use of the Emergency Department at Alder Hey in the Park began. The new hospital, which took ten years of planning and two years of construction, was partly designed by children. Among its features are greater facilities for families, including 270 en-suite rooms, 16 digitally-enhanced operating theatres, green spaces and play areas. An indoor tree-house, outdoor play decks with a relaxation garden and interactive screens in patient waiting areas are all new features. Erin McCulloch, a volunteer in the Oncology department, said: “The new hospital will make a difference to all the patients. The facilities such as play stations and play areas have been updated. Play is a very important part of recovery as it is often used to distract children, we find it helps with their recovery.”
NOW OPEN: Alder Hey’s new look (above) boasts brand new equipment and activities for patients (right) Alongside the hospital, an innovative Research and Education Centre has been built. This will place Alder Hey and Liverpool as a national and international leader in the development of safer and more effective medicines for children and young people.
The hospital is now located in Springfield Park, next to the existing site. Alder Hey’s old buildings will be demolished and replaced by parkland, leaving the new hospital sitting in the heart of the park with views of green space from every patient’s window.