Special birthday year for children’s hospital

Jenny Lind Children’s Hospital celebrates its 167th birthday on 3 April during what promises to be a special year for the country’s second oldest children’s hospital.

This year will see £6.5m invested in the first phase of a new three-theatre complex to meet the demand of treating the county’s youngest patients now and in the future.

Work on the new unit at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital has already started with the first phase seeing the creation of a twin paediatric theatre suite, a six-bay recovery unit and other associated works.

Designs for an improved critical care area within our children’s hospital are also being developed, with hopes to see work commence later this year.

The hospital cares for thousands of children each year, from the smallest babies in our NICU through to young people up to the age of 16, and older in some cases.

The charity is hugely grateful for the support of our fundraisers whose donations make a huge difference to the work we can do to enhance the support, care and treatment of our young patients and their families.

Just recently, the charity received more that £14,000 from Simon Kindleysides who raised money walking with his exoskeleton suit during the latest lockdown. Despite being disabled, Simon walked 8,000 steps each day of February, through snow, rain, hail and sunshine and featured on national and international media.

NNUH Biomedical Support Worker and baker extraordinaire Reece Durrant has baked some fantastic cakes to celebrate Jenny Lind Day along with a video showing exactly how to recreate the celebration cakes. Later on in the year one of our young patient’s parents will be undertaking the Welsh 3000 raising money for the hospital in May.

In today’s hospital, Buxton Ward treats over 3,500 young inpatients each year with a further 1,000 babies cared for in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Staff on the Children’s Emergency Department care for in access of 24,000 children each year while around 48,000 children attend outpatient appointments.

Laura Schaffer, Divisional Operations Director for Women and Children, said: “This is a hugely exciting year for the Jenny Lind as we embark on our exciting expansion project. We hope you will all support us as we transform our environment for children and young people.”

You can support the work of the Jenny Lind Children’s Hospital by making a donation directly https://nnuh.enthuse.com/cf/jenny-lind-children-s-hospital

For more information about the work of the N&N Hospitals Charity, go to www.nnuhcharity.org.uk