The children’s ward at North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust (North Mid) in Edmonton has undergone a transformation thanks to a multi-million pound investment.

Following a year-long-construction, North Mid’s Rainbow Ward, its dedicated ward for caring for babies, children and young people, has been completely redeveloped, with better use of the space to provide more tailored care.

Rainbow Ward artwork    The new ward has total of 16 rooms – four high dependency rooms, six side rooms, two of which are being designated for children and young adults experiencing emotional, behavioural and mental health challenges, and three two-bedded bays. Each room has ensuite toilet and shower facilities, pull out bed for parents and guardians, and brand-new artwork, designed and developed with children and young people, each with new distinct themes, from the city-scapes to the tropics and from the jungle to outer space, adding to the ward’s child-friendly atmosphere. On top of this, the ward now has a number of dedicated rooms, built for specific purposes, including a playroom, a teenagers’ room, a parents’ room and a milk storage room.

With the £5.7million investment comes a potful of endless rays of opportunities to consistently deliver a high-quality care for our patients, families and our community. The previous Rainbow Ward had to be reassigned to looking after adult patients during the Covid-19 pandemic. Fast-forward to today, the new Rainbow Ward has been reinvigorated with a fresh look, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to deliver safe, reliable, and timely patient care.

Clare Oliver, ward manager of the new Rainbow Ward said: “I have worked at North Mid for 27 years and there’s no greater feeling than being able to open our new children’s ward. It’s taken a huge effort from staff across North Mid, from our estates teams, our medical photography team, to our children’s services teams, and I want to thank each and every one of them for helping make this redevelopment a reality.

When it rains look for rainbows“Central to creating the new Rainbow Ward has been listening to patients and their families and really understanding what would make their experience here better, and I’m glad we have been able to put in place many of the things they have asked for.”

Lee Anne, mum of two sets of twin children, who have been accessing the services at North Mid for 11 years said: “The Rainbow Ward has been like a second home to myself and to my children who suffer from long term heath condition. Having the ward refurbished in the way it has, will be able to offer us a sense of comfort and security, knowing that we are safe and accessible.

“It really means a lot to us as a family, and I’m sure many other families will benefit from this new ward which has been designed with us in mind.”