CHILDREN and young people across West Lothian are to see their hospital experience improved, thanks to a campaign being launched by a renowned charity.

Families and communities across the area are being urged to help raise at least £7000 for a state-of-the-art new ultrasound probe to be installed at St John’s Hospital, Livingston, which experts say will help put youngsters at ease when being examined.

The new campaign from Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, (ECHC), is also being used as a platform to highlight the extensive work in West Lothian funded by the charity.

Roslyn Neely, CEO of ECHC, said: “Thanks to the amazing support and fundraising of many people over 25 years we’ve been able to fund countless innovative projects that support children and young people and their families during hospital visits.

“While people mostly associate us with working in the city, in fact we are heavily involved in projects wherever children are treated. Indeed, we’re very proud of our track record particularly at St John’s Hospital in West Lothian.

“This latest project to raise money for a Paediatric Ultrasound Probe is exactly the kind of project we love to be involved in and we are sure the community across West Lothian will get fully behind such a worthwhile cause.”

Medics say a new ultrasound probe designed specifically for children would bring benefits on multiple levels for youngsters who require a scan. The current scanning probe in use at the hospital is not tailored only to meet the needs of children.

New equipment would also deliver superior images and improve diagnostic quality and would mean that children can receive scans closer to home.

Children and young people are referred for a scan for a number of different reasons. These range from head scans for neonatal babies, kidney scans for urine infections to scans on other parts of the body to check out lumps and other problems.

Roslyn added: “Across the board, we give out around £1.5million a year to ensure that children’s lives are less interrupted by illness, they are less scared of hospital and that their families are also comforted and supported by us.

“However, the challenge to keep fundraising continues and that is why we are reaching out to the people of West Lothian. We believe it would be amazing for the community to work together and know that this vital piece of equipment was funded purely by their efforts.”

Jacquie Campbell, Chief Officer of Acute Services, NHS Lothian, said: “We are thrilled that ECHC are fundraising for a new ultrasound probe, and we are confident it will make a real difference to the experience children and young people have during treatment. We are grateful for the amazing work ECHC do for NHS Lothian, and we look forward to continuing to work with them.”

The ECHC’s extensive support for children and young people visiting hospital covers a wide range of activities, including equipment, training and research and distractions and play

In West Lothian, the charity has funded projects and services at St John’s for the children’s ward, A&E, Radiology Department and the Mother and Baby Mental Health Unit.

Individuals, schools and businesses are all encouraged to get involved in any way they can. A list of activities and events such as sky dives or marathons that anyone can get involved in can be seen on the ECHC website.

Anyone who is interested in organising or holding a fundraising event can contact the fundraising team on 0131 668 4949 or hello@echcharity.org and will be provided with a helpful pack that offers a host of guidance, tips and advice.

Following a record-breaking 2016 which saw it raise more than £1.8m, ECHC was able to provide 82 grants across east central Scotland, which included funding for the Craniofacial team at St John’s to attend a world leading course on their field of surgery.

Other projects the charity have funded at the hospital include a vein finding piece of equipment, as well as many toys, stickers, and certificates for the children’s ward, which help the staff to keep children positively focused.

Over the past 13 years, grants from ECHC have also enabled improvements to the play, waiting and consulting areas in the Out Patient Department, the creation of a new soft play area in the children’s ward, the purchase of a pediatric echo/ultrasound machine and the funding of staff visits to Shriners Burns Unit in Galveston, Texas to advance clinical knowledge.

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