£220,000 raised to purchase new state-of-the-art equipment for brain surgery. Read the full story here.

Children's Clinical Research Facility celebrates first birthday

Thousands of children across Scotland, the UK and beyond are benefiting from the pioneering research taking place in dedicated facilities at Edinburgh's Royal Hospital for Sick Children.  Click here for full story

In 1997 we funded the formation of a Family Support Centre and Chapel in the heart of the hospital. This provided facilities for the family Support team who look after many of the needs of the parents and siblings when a child comes to hospital. The Chapel, now known as the Sanctuary, is constantly visited by parents and staff seeking a quiet place for peaceful thoughts away from the busy wards.

The Sick Kids Friends Foundation bought the first CT Scanner at the hospital in 1999. Its purchase, costing £250,000 meant that children could receive scans at the hospital rather than being transported to the adult provision at the Western General or the Royal Infirmary.

Our Millenium gift to the hospital in Jnauary 2001 was to provide a new Gamma Camera, costing £400,000 replacing the old single-headed camera with a brand new double-headed version. This allows for much quicker examinations and less manoevering of the equipment.

Every night many parents stay at the hospital so that they can be on hand for their wee ones should they wake. In 2003 we spent over £200,000 to convert the old loft area of the hospital to provide PJ's Loft - bedrooms, shower and sitting room facilities for the parents who sleep beside their children in the wards.

Keyhole surgery is better for children when possible as it reduces scarring, reduces post operative pain and recovery is faster. But it entails many pieces of equipment to be arranged in the operating theatre. In 2004 at a cost of £400,000, we purchased our OR1 Operating Theatre System which controls all the equipment though computer systems and ensures that the surgeons always have the best view of the procedure and can alter any of the equipment at the touch of a button. This system allows real-time recording and so is particularly useful for training and consultation purposes. Our theatre has linked with many others around the world to help train surgeons of the future.

In 2006 we set up our unique Drop In Centre with assistance from the Wooden Spoon Society. The Centre provides information, advice, support, complementary therapies and activities for children in the hospital or at home with long term conditions and their families. You can find out more about this project at its dedicated website www.sickkidsdropin.org In the evenings children from the wards come to the Centre where they are cared for by staff and volunteers and take part in activities such as computer games, arts and crafts or movie nights. The nurses tell us that patients sleep so much better when they have been to the Centre in the evenings and parents tell us that the centre and our staff there are a godsend!

Technology moves on at a fast pace and by 2006 it was felt that the scanner which we had bought 7 years previously was now becoming old and was far from up to date in comparison with more modern models. Having been persuaded that a newer model would scan images so much faster thus reducing the amount of time and anesthetic required for such examinations it was clear that a new scanner would really benefit the children, making their experience of these investigations much less distressing. A very generous family agreed to fund this purchase and the Sick Kids Friends Foundation funded decoration of the area in partnership with NHS Lothian who funded a new MRI Scanner to provide a state of the art department.

In 2009 we provided a new Play area in the Paediatric Outpatients department at St John's hospital in Livingston.

Refurbishment in Ward 2 at the hospital to provide age appropriate areas for all our cancer and leukaemia patients.

Providing Laryngyscopes, Facial Nerve monitor, nerve blockade and other specialist equipment at the hospital.

Our latest appeal is to raise £100,000 for laparoscopic or keyhole surgery equipment. This type of surgery is frequently used for the smallest of babies who require life saving operations within hours or days of their birth. These tiny infants have been born with malfunctions in their digestive or respiratory systems, which mean that they cannot feed properly or are in difficulties with their breathing. It is so important that they receive prompt treatment using the best equipment possible to ensure a swift correction of the problem. Although these babies are still tiny our highly skilled keyhole surgeons can make them better using miniature instruments with integral cameras which provide an internal view displayed on screens in theatre. Keyhole surgery reduces pain, recovery time, the length of stay in hospital and scarring. We bought this equipment in 2004, the first of its kind in a European children's hospital and now we need to upgrade the instruments and screens in line with the most modern technology available to help around 300 children who require keyhole surgery each year.

Our OR1 Upgrade will ensure that babies who need corrective surgery can be handed back to their anxious new Mums and Dads as quickly and safely as possible!

• funding Clown doctor visits in the hospital and other healthcare facilities in the community
• providing play equipment for all the wards and waiting areas in the hospital
• maintaining our KIDSnet patients' internet access throughout the hospital

The ward 7 project is to provide a comfortable suitable bath for patients and alterations ion the bathroom to provide separate toilet facilities. Currently the patients have little opportunity for a bath and the shower trolley is not suitable for all neurology patients. This new state of the art bath specially designed for healthcare facilities will provide a real treat for the children as many of them will find their conditions eased through the relaxation resultant from use of the bath.