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PICU Gets a New Quiet Room for Families

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Seahorse Unit – where the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) in Bristol Children’s Hospital is located – treats some of the South West’s sickest babies and children. It can be a scary and stressful place for patients and their families. That’s why we’ve created a new, tranquil second ‘quiet room’, for families to sit and reflect in peace. This quiet room is made possible by our incredible fundraisers, ‘JOGLE for Jude’.

When your child is critically ill, finding solace can be difficult. The work done by the PICU team is incredible, but the unit can be busy and loud, and often very overwhelming.  

That’s why, with the help of fundraising team ‘JOGLE for Jude’, we’ve turned an unused storage area into a quiet room with comfortable seating, gentle lighting and soft furnishings.

Helping reduce stress in PICU

The quiet room is located just outside of PICU. Here, families of patients can take some time away from the busyness of the ward. From the beeping alarms, strange sounds, and other families going through difficult times. Whether they need to cry in peace, reflect on their journey, make phone calls to loved ones or just step out of the unit, it’s open 24/7 for anyone who needs it. Here, parents can receive important news with the space they need to digest it, discuss it or just sit together. 

It’s a small oasis of calm for families.

The quiet room on Seahorse Unit is a versatile, supportive environment designed to cater to families’ emotional and practical needs. Whether it’s providing a calm retreat for siblings, offering privacy for discussions between parents and professionals, or serving as a comforting space for families, the room can be a crucial part of the support system during a child’s stay.

Karl, Seahorse Unit Play Specialist

To make sure PICU stays as safe as can be, and to control the spread of any infections or illnesses, all the furniture is wipeable and easy to clean. 

The walls have a meadow mural in soft, pastel colours, the lamp casts a warm yellow light across the room, and there’s even a screen on the doors, so families have privacy.

Having a second quiet room has been amazing. The room is in constant use and allows families a quiet space away from the main family room. The PICU team use the room to keep families updated on their child’s progress, while the psychology team use it to support family members, and new mums can go there to express breast milk in private for their babies.

These are just some of its uses. We now don’t know how we managed without it. Thank you so much for supporting us to make this a useful space on PICU. We love it.”

Sarah Britton, Seahorse Unit and Lighthouse Ward Matron

It’s thanks to fundraising superstars JOGLE for Jude – who have raised over £200,000 for Bristol Children’s Hospital – that we’ve been able to provide this vital service.

Fundraise for us

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Provide vital accommodation for a family of a sick child