When the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital (RACH) opened its doors 10 years ago, the facility was world-class in every respect.
With gleaming surfaces and the best technology money could buy, it was a place people living in the north and north-east of Scotland could be proud of.
A decade on, and with more than one million patients and their families having passed through the hospital doors, bosses are the first to admit the building is not up to scratch.
With peeling paint, cracked and chipped furniture and drab, uninspiring walls, years of wear and tear has taken its toll.
But with your help this can be fixed, and the children’s hospital can be transformed into a first-class facility once again and can help medics provide the highest standards of clinical care.
These exclusive images today reveal the new welcome thousands of sick children will get when they first arrive at the Foresterhill hospital.
The improvements are the first step in a 10-point plan created by the ARCHIE Foundation, the hospital’s official charity.
Over the next five weeks, the Press & Journal will reveal the other steps in the charity’s master plan, which includes improving accommodation for parents, investing in more specialist staff and bringing technology into the 21st century.
David Tipping, who is masterminding the hospital’s transformation, said that by revamping areas such as the main entrance, the public lifts and waiting areas, children do not need to be scared about hospital visits.
“We need to make the experience of coming into hospital warm, friendly, interesting and, where appropriate, fun,” he said
Under the plans, a zoo including a 30ft-tall topiary giraffe, an elephant and rabbits will be created outside the main entrance, which will stampede over a wild flower meadow. The exterior of the building will be freshened up, with colourful fences installed and a nature trail leading to renovated play areas.
A new child-friendly reception point will also be created inside, with a customised fish tank-desk the first thing youngsters see when they step inside.
With the money raised, the charity will also fund a receptionist to manage a team of volunteers to ensure the desk is never unmanned. Improved signage will also be placed around the hospital to make visits less stressful for parents.
Mr Tipping said that the tired-looking lifts and bridge that links the children’s hospital to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary were also in desperate need of renovation. “The existing lifts are intimidating metal boxes,” he said.
“We want to change this by installing stunning panoramic images and creating the impression you have stepped into a magical glass capsule. For people entering the children’s hospital from ARI we want to make this an exciting journey. We want to add some colour to the existing link bridge, some additional windows looking up towards a new roof garden and create an art gallery where children’s artwork from throughout the hospital can be displayed.”
The children’s A&E and out-patient waiting areas will also be revamped. “The out-patients waiting area is the most heavily-used area of the hospital,” he said.
“We want to refresh this area, including providing an improved reception, seating and fresh decor.
“We want to provide more for children and provide improved information incorporated in a fresh and bright colour scheme.”
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