A cinema designed to increase the quality of life for poorly children is set to be built inside Birmingham’s leading children’s hospital.
Hospitals aren’t nice places, especially for children. However MediCinema – an organisation that was founded in 1996 by Christine Hill MBE – is working to change this. The company custom-builds theatres in UK hospitals to provide entertainment for unwell children and their families.
Currently the organisation have built six cinemas in hospitals across the UK, though this figure is soon to become seven. MediCinema have announced their latest project will be situated in Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital.
The new facility will be housed in the hospital’s current lecture theatre, a non-clinical space, and will show films (including new releases) during evenings and weekends.
During the day the space will be used as a place for staff training and education days.
‘We’re so excited to be able to bring a MediCinema to our patients,’ Daljit Athwal, chief nurse and midwifery officer at Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, said. ‘The inclusion of a cinema within our hospital will help reduce feelings of isolation and benefit patient recovery rates, bringing a little bit of magic to their stay, enabling them to create positive lifelong memories of their time spent in hospital.
‘The cinema will create an opportunity for the whole family to come together for a shared experience, with nursing staff on hand to deliver any care needed. It will also allow our children to stay connected with their peers, ensuring they don’t miss out on the latest releases just because they’re sick.’
The new development is due to be comprised of 63 movie-style seats, which have been designed to accommodate wheelchairs, hospital beds and medical equipment, and once it has been completed it will be the biggest MediCinema to date.
Work on the project is due to commence at the end of October and is estimated to last around eight to 12 weeks. However £600,000 still needs to be raised to make the cinema and its initial running costs a reality.
Colin Lawrence, CEO of MediCinema, added: ‘We are absolutely delighted to announce our partnership with Birmingham Children’s Hospital and its Charity to bring a MediCinema to the heart of the Midlands.
‘The immersive nature of the big screen really helps to transport patients and their families away from the challenging situations they are facing, giving them a sense of normality and time together away from the clinical setting of the wards. We know that our therapeutic services will make a real difference to Birmingham Children’s Hospital and the community it serves.’
Image: MediCinema
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