Plans approved for UK first Patient Hotel, in Bristol
It's hoped The Jingle Jam Building, connected to the Bristol Children's Hospital, will open in 2027
It is hoped work will begin by the end of the year to build a new patient hotel connected to the Bristol Children's Hospital.
Bristol City Council has approved plans for what will be named The Jingle Jam Building, which will offer a place to stay for patients and their families who no longer need to be in the hospital full time, but who still need to be nearby for treatment.
The hospital's charity The Grand Appeal already runs accommodation for the parents of children receiving treatment, but this will be the first facility of its kind in the UK, which will offer bespoke accommodation for both the patients and their families as they transition out of hospital life.
Staying in the hotel will be completely free, with £2.2 million raised towards the project so far thanks to a partnership with Jingle Jam, the world’s biggest gaming charity.
Lewis Brindley, Trustee of Jingle Jam says “It's been an immense privilege fundraising for Jingle Jam Building over the past eight years.
"Everyone here at Jingle Jam is so glad to see this incredible, essential project take its next step in becoming a reality. The gaming community have taken this project to their hearts over the last eight years, helping us to raise the £2.2m so far towards this fantastic development.
"We are looking forward to seeing the Jingle Jam Building evolve in the next phase of its development.”
The Patient Hotel will offer patients and families access to 12 ensuite rooms, with a communal kitchen, laundry and lounge areas.
Alongside the accommodation, hospital staff will also be able to utilise a purpose-built therapy and gym space, while there will also be a specially adapted kitchen for hospital dieticians and an external landscaped garden for rehabilitation and relaxation.
Martin Gargan, Clinical Chair at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children said: “It is fantastic news that the plans for this incredibly important facility have been approved.
"At the hospital, we admit critically ill children from as far as the tip of Cornwall and with each of these children, come their worried families. Stressed, anxious and far from home, some of these families are coming to terms with their child facing a life-long health condition, life-changing injuries, and possibly a lengthy inpatient stay.
“The Grand Appeal’s new Patient Hotel is the latest development in our pioneering and innovative 30-year partnership with the children’s hospital, which will transform the care of these vulnerable young patients who will be offered accommodation at the Patient Hotel.
"Children will be accommodated alongside their families, which will improve their well-being and reduce anxiety. Parents and caregivers will play an active role in their child’s therapy, building confidence and helping to improve their child’s outcomes on discharge.”
The Bristol Children's Hospital provides care to more than 140,000 children each year and covers the largest geographical area of any children's hospital in England.
Within it, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is the only unit in the South West providing care to critically ill and premature babies from across the region, caring for over 800 babies a year.
Many very sick babies and children spend weeks or months as inpatients following traumatic incidents or if they were born with a serious medical condition.
When they are ready to leave the hospital environment after intensive treatment and care, children staying in Jingle Jam Building will now be able to benefit from ongoing therapy and rehabilitation in a less clinical ‘home-from-home' setting.
Nicola Masters, Director of The Grand Appeal said: “We are delighted to see our planning application move through the approval stage and get one step closer to becoming a reality.
"Huge thanks go to Jingle Jam and the online gaming community for their support in helping to bring this project to fruition."
Throughout England, approximately 10 per cent of hospital beds are taken up by patients who are well enough to go home after treatment, but live too far away to access the regular and ongoing therapy and care that they need.
That figure is less than 3 per cent in Scandinavian countries where Patient-Hotel type facilities are more commonplace.
Assuming building work does start by the end of the year, it's hoped the Jingle Jam Building will open in 2027.
For more information about the Hotel and the hospital charity, visit The Grand Appeal website here.
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