Royal Hospital for Children
Royal Hospital for Children
The Acute Children’s Services based at the Royal Hospital for Children employs the largest cohort of nurses caring for children in Scotland. It is the second largest Children’s Hospital in the United Kingdom and provides secondary and tertiary care for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and beyond including other areas of Scotland and England. The hospital currently provides care to children from birth until 16 years of age (although this can vary).
The RHC has 227 inpatient beds, 29 day-case beds and handles approximately 109,000 outpatients and 22,000 inpatients each year together with 12,000 Day cases and 65,000 Accident and Emergency attendances every year.
Our unique Money and Debt Advice Service provides families and carers with information and support about debt management, financial capability and welfare assessment. Where appropriate our Holistic Money Support Officer will refer parents/carers to other NHS and partnership services such as Social Work, Housing and Home Energy Scotland provision/fuel poverty services financial hardship as a direct consequence of their child being unwell. Referrals will also be made to Family Support and Information Service for access to the Emergency Fund and other charitable funds.
Families using the Royal Hospital for Children often experience major life changes when their child is born or treated at Accident and Emergency, admitted to intensive care, or receiving intensive outpatient treatment or diagnosed with a Long-Term Condition. They often require travelling to and from the hospital during their child’s illness or lifespan. These changes can impact directly on employment and caring responsibilities for parents resulting not just in terms of emotional stress but significant financial distress also. Our money advice service funded by the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity received 300 new referrals during this financial year and 238 new and over 273 existing families were supported and accessed financial gains of over £2.6m with debt management around £245k. Other support delivered by our advisors included budgeting advice, food and fuel insecurity addressed, grants for white goods, specialist equipment etc. and assistance with housing and eviction issues.
If you have a child who is an in-patient or out-patient at the RHC Hospital please either ask your health professional within the hospital to make a referral, go to Family Support & Information Services on the ground floor who can assist you and make a referral. Their contact details are email: fsis@ggc.sct.nhs.uk of telephone on 0141 452 4012. Alternatively, to make a self-referral by email: rhc.moneyadviceservice@ggc.scot.nhs.uk or telephone on 0141 445 7617.