A NEW specialist vehicle has been donated to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh.
The state-of-the-art Subaru Forester XC was donated by Subaru dealership, A F Noble and Son in Penicuik, and will be used by the Paediatric Retrieval team based at the hospital to transfer doctors, nurses and equipment from the intensive care unit to seriously ill or injured children in other hospitals across the east coast of Scotland.
Once there, the team, who are specialists at providing intensive care to children on the move, will stabilise and prepare young patients for transfer via ambulance, helicopter or plane to the intensive care unit at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh.
Dr Jon McCormack, consultant in paediatric anaesthesia and intensive care retrieval, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, said: “This new emergency response vehicle will be a great help to our staff, allowing us to respond quickly to calls for help across Scotland.
“We also hope to use the vehicle to raise awareness of the service and to transport our SimBaby simulator, which we use in training courses, to hospitals across the country.”
Michael Noble, a director of AF Noble and Son, said: “AF Noble and Son, in collaboration with our partners, the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, Colin McCrae Vision and Subaru UK, are delighted to provide the Paediatric Retrieval Team in Edinburgh with a Subaru Forester.
“We presented a similar vehicle to the team at Yorkhill Sick Kids Hospital in Glasgow recently, to replace the previous one that was stolen and destroyed. However, as there are two Paediatric Retrieval teams in Scotland, both doing fantastic work and both equally deserving of support, we always hoped we might be able to provide a vehicle to both the Edinburgh and Glasgow units. I’m personally very proud that we have now managed to achieve that goal.”
The Sick Kids Friends Foundation provided additional funding to brand the Subaru as an emergency vehicle including reflective decals and light bar.
Maureen Harrison, chief executive of the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, said: “The retrieval team plays a vital role in ensuring seriously ill or injured children get the specialist care they need.
“We are extremely grateful to AF Noble and Son, Colin McCrae Vision and Subaru UK for providing this fantastic new vehicle which will be an invaluable resource and will help ensure children from across Scotland are given the best emergency care possible.”
Two girls from Aberdeenshire raised £200 to purchase a SatNav for the vehicle by taking part in the junior Great North Run in September. Primary 7 pupils, Ayshia Guy and Emma Ingram, both aged 11, decided to raise funds for the Paediatric Retrieval team after a friend was cared for by the team.
Ends
Notes to Editors:
- The Paediatric Retrieval team in Edinburgh assists in the safe transfer of around 150 seriously ill babies and children every year.
- The SimBaby is a realistic infant patient simulator which allows those being trained to practice and perfect their skills, such as baby resuscitation, in a risk-free environment.
- The Sick Kids Friends Foundation helps sick children get better by funding extra medical equipment, improving facilities, financing specialised research and training and providing a wide variety of extra comforts for young patients and their families at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, other health centres in the East of Scotland and in the Community. For more information, please visit www.edinburghsickkids.org.
- AF Noble and Son is a long established family owned and run business with a history stretching back to 1932.
- Colin McRae Vision is a charity established in honour of motorsport legend, Colin McRae, and works hard to raise monies for good causes which were close to Colin’s heart.
Issued: 18 November 2011
Carol Harris
Communications manager
NHS Lothian
carol.harris1@nhs.net
0131 465 5652
MEDIA RELEASE posted by NHS Lothian. You too can post a media release (aka press release) on allmediascotland.com. For more information, email here.
Contact: Carol Harris
Phone: 07769887183
Email: carol.harris1@nhs.net
Website: http://www.
