PRINCE Harry, Duke of Sussex, Patron of national children’s charity WellChild, visited Birmingham Children’s Hospital to meet seriously ill children and their families who are benefiting from the charity’s specialist support programmes.
The visit comes as WellChild celebrates the 20th anniversary of its pioneering WellChild Nurse programme – a national network of more than 50 specialist children’s nurses based across the UK, supporting families of children with complex medical needs to make the transition from hospital to home safely.
During the visit, Prince Harry toured the hospital’s WellChild ‘Better at Home’ Suite and met families who have received support from WellChild Children’s Nurses.
The nurses work alongside families and healthcare teams to help parents and carers develop the skills, confidence and practical knowledge needed to care for their child safely at home.
The Duke was welcomed by Chief Executive Matt James, Director of Programmes Amy Mitchell both from WellChild and Trust Chief Executive Officer Matthew Boazman.
He also met WellChild Nurses Nicky Holt and Rachel Shanahan, members of the multidisciplinary team supporting children with complex medical needs and their families.
The Duke has previously supported the development of the charity’s nursing provision at the Hospital through funding towards a WellChild Nurse post, helping to strengthen the specialist support available to families in the area.
The WellChild Better at Home Suite at the hospital provides a dedicated space where parents and carers can receive hands-on training from specialist nurses in a safe environment using state-of-the-art simulation equipment. The programme helps families prepare for life outside hospital, ensuring they feel supported, empowered and less isolated as they begin caring for their child at home.
Across the UK, WellChild Nurses play a vital role in enabling some of the most seriously ill children to leave hospital and live safely at home with their families.
Last year alone, the programme helped prevent 16,000 hospital readmissions nationwide, helping to protect valuable NHS capacity at a time of increasing pressure.
Prince Harry’s visit forms part of a year-long schedule of events by WellChild to highlight the impact of its Nurse programme and the urgent need to protect this vital resource.
With growing numbers of children living longer with complex medical needs, the support provided by WellChild Nurses is more important than ever in helping families and health services meet this changing need.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Patron of WellChild, said: “It is always a privilege to spend time with the children, families and professionals at the heart of WellChild’s work.
“Today’s visit to Birmingham Children’s Hospital is particularly special as we celebrate 20 years of the remarkable WellChild Nurse programme which has delivered two decades of helping children with complex medical needs transition home from hospital and supporting the families who care for them every day
“Over the past 18 years as Patron of WellChild, I have had the privilege of seeing first-hand the extraordinary impact these nurses have had on thousands of children and families across the UK. I have seen the difference specialist nursing support can make, from empowering families with the confidence to care for their children at home, to helping children have the opportunity to live their best lives, surrounded by those who love them most.”
Matt James, Chief Executive Officer of WellChild, said: “The Better at Home Suite demonstrates what can be achieved when charities, NHS teams and families work together, giving parents and carers the skills, confidence and reassurance they need to bring their child home safely and continue to provide the best possible care outside of hospital.
“Over the past two decades, our network of WellChild Nurses has become a vital part of the support system for children with the most complex health needs, helping families navigate some of the most challenging moments of their lives while supporting the NHS by preventing avoidable hospital stays.”
Matthew Boazman, Chief Executive Officer of Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We recognise how important it is for families to be able to spend time together in their own home and we have been incredibly fortunate to have benefited from such amazing funding and support from WellChild.
“Their support has enabled us to help hundreds of families of children with complex medical needs to be safely discharged from our hospital so that they can then be supported to live at home together with their family.
“We were absolutely delighted to welcome the Duke of Sussex to Birmingham Children’s Hospital and to be able to join with the WellChild team and our families in celebrating this wonderful milestone.”
