Defender visits Alder Hey Hospital…

England and Everton defender Joleon Lescott joined WellChild Children’s Nurse Elaine Hardiman and some of the children she cares for in Alder Hey Hospital today (Wednesday) to see first hand how the Team England Footballers Charity is working with WellChild – the national charity for sick children.

Lescott joined WellChild Nurse Elaine at the Transitional Care Unit at Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool – where he met young people and their families and took the chance to see the essential support provided to seriously ill children by WellChild Children’s Nurses around the country.

The Transitional Care Unit at Alder Hey is a six-bed centre situated within the grounds of the hospital.  The unit acts as a temporary home for children whose conditions are stable enough for them to stay while their transition from hospital to home is arranged. Many of the children on the unit are on long-term ventilation and receive care from the nurses as well as their parents during the stay.

Rather than having the feel of a hospital ward, the centre acts as a ‘home from home’ environment for the children and therefore has a more relaxed feel. WellChild Nurse Elaine Hardiman works with many of the families currently situated on this unit, and liaises with all of the health professionals needed to create a care package for the child to return home full time.

Joleon’s visit was the part of an 18-month partnership which sees the Team England Footballers Charity supporting WellChild’s work right up until the end of the 2010 World Cup. The England players will donate international match fees as well as their time to WellChild to help raise awareness of the charity’s vital services for sick children and their families as they cope with the consequences of serious illness and complex conditions.

Among the children who met Lescott was two-year-old Madison Kennedy-Finglas who was born with a heart problem and a small right lung and has been at Alder Hey since birth. Madison has been on the Transitional Care Unit for over a year whilst WellChild Nurse Elaine, and a team of community medical professionals, co-ordinate the very complex process of getting her home, including recruiting and training of carers. The family are hoping to take Madison home at the end of May.

Madison’s mother Danielle said: “In order for Madison to come home from hospital she will need up to seven care staff and a lot of equipment that all has to be arranged. Without our WellChild nurse Elaine co-ordinating it all we would be lost and I’m sure that if it hadn’t been for her it would have taken significantly longer to get Madison home.”

WellChild’s team of children’s nurses provide care and support to seriously ill children and their families across the UK, many of whom have complex and long term illness, and need specialist equipment and medical support. As well as providing treatment for children, WellChild nurses often assist families in setting up complicated care packages to allow their child to be cared for out of hospital and in the comfort of their home.

The team of WellChild Children’s Nurses are just one of the many projects funded by the national charity. In addition, WellChild doctors, nurses and researchers work tirelessly to improve the treatment and care of sick children – with WellChild research projects working in a wide range of areas including diabetes, liver disease, pain management in children, cancer, congenital heart disease, cystic fibrosis and inherited genetic conditions.